Alberto

I've never lived where hurricanes were actually a threat. A couple times in Frederick we got thunderstorms, but nothing insane. So, I'm kind of interested to see what that's actually like, now that I'm entering my first hurricane season in a place where they actually mention how your homeowners insurance benefits work if you suffer hurricane damage.

Apparently, Hampton Boulevard gets severely flooded in places when there's a lot of rain (thanks to Alberto, downgraded to a tropical depression today). It took me twenty minutes to drive what normally takes about two, since almost everyone had moved from three lanes to one (the only lane without standing water measuring a couple feet in some places). And I passed three cars that hadn't been smart enough avoid those lanes, and were stuck. I actually called Dad for a quick refresher on how to drive through standing water.

After shopping for a while (I picked out my cabinets), Heather and I drove by the first house I visited while house hunting - nearly every yard was severely flooded, and several streets. Apparently, Norfolk (where I work) and Portsmouth (where I will live, starting this weekend) are the first areas to flood. Even though my house isn't in a flood zone, I still felt a strong desire to just drive by and check it out, to make sure. No problems at all - guess I picked the right house!