Windy...34º

Gusty wind off and on all night and more forecast for the next few days...Wind storms in this valley are common, some years causing thousands of dollars worth of damage as trees are blown over power lines, barns collapsed and house roofs detached ending up maybe in the neighbors yard.

Our first experience with the wind after moving here in 1973 was in the fall of '74...We had purchased a newer boat and also a much used dock on Wallowa Lake...The dock had to be towed out of the lake in the fall and parked on dry ground for the winter...But before that was accomplished a storm blew in and the dock after its anchor broke ended up almost to the head of the lake instead of the foot where it belonged...We received a letter from the "County Court" stating that said dock (now in pieces) must be removed from the lake!..Too make a long story short, this was accomplished, the dock was rebuilt and we, along with friends, spent summer weekends for the next ten year, boating, fishing, sunbathing, swimming and waterskiing, from the dock...Great family fun.

Other wind storms shook and rattled our old house, especially the upstairs where Bobi and Rusty slept...Herb and I would wake up to find them sleeping on the living room floor or sofa when the winds were especially strong...During the past 40 years we have  replaced the roof, twice, added insulation and new windows making the house snug and secure.

Storms have reduced metal buildings and lean-to's to a heap of rubble...The neighbors carport roof landed in our pasture twice, tree tops slammed into the house and landed on the deck...Just last February an eight foot section of roofing blew off of our house.

Last nights wind gusts were mild and we always think that everything that can blow away or off or over has done so...I'll keep you posted....  OWAV:)

Below are photo's from the 2007 Veterans Day Storm.

Neighboring Carport Roof

Lean-to and contents in a heap