How to Party in a Hurricane

It's Croakerfest weekend! This is Oriental's big party each year -- street dancing, lots of fun vendors selling friend Oreos and funnel cakes and hats and art. A parade! A sunfish regatta with 58 boats! Life stands still on July 4th weekend when Oriental residents and their guests whoop it up!

Except ... when Hurricane Arthur becomes the party-crasher.
The wind is blowing hard from the south. One home has all these flags by the river, very festive for the celebration.

 The town has installed the "necessary rooms" for the crowds of tourists during Croakerfest.

 And more went by as I took my bike ride this morning.

 In a side street by the river they've set up a stage for the musicians. Friday night's street dancing will be here.

 A few yards away, however, the town has also chained the park picnic tables to a live oak tree, anticipating Arthur's heavy winds tonight. The weatherman says they may gust up to 80 mph. I hope that stage doesn't blow down the street!

 Today the river looks high and a bit choppy. See the fisherman?

 Oriental's flower beds are spectacular, and everyone -- homeowners and business owners -- is out mowing, edging, weed eating.

 Some dainty roses by the Baptist church ~

 Several homes have this cheerful bunting draped on rails and porches, but it will be blown over tonight.

 If you're wonderful what people do about the high water we sometimes get during bad hurricanes ... well, some people take the insurance money and raise their homes, like this:

 If you don't use the designated insurance money to raise your home, the company will not pay for flood damage the next time around, when later hurricanes come and you get damage again.
Some who build new homes put in a 3-foot mound and build the house on a little hill, like this. You see the slope on the side, and the retaining wall on the front.

 And some people who obviously got flooding (and probably mold) last time during Irene, opted only to raise their air conditioning unit a couple of feet off the ground, but the little house (small and fishing-cabinish from decades ago) still hugs the ground.

 Here's the south-facing sky yesterday, clear as a bell. I'll keep you posted about Arthur and Croakerfest. The storm should be past by late Friday, and Saturday's festivities are scheduled to happen. Oriental is populated by sailors, and sailors are a stubborn lot when it comes to managing storms.

Happy hurricaning!