Water for the Soul

I went SCUBA diving today at Lake Rawlings which is located south of Richmond. The lake is actually an old quarry which has been a film location for several movies including "The Replacements" starring Keanu Reaves and Gene Hackman. The lake is very clear and at times I wished I was fishing for the decent sized bass I saw instead of fishing with them. I am being certified through SCUBA Schools International (SSI) and being instructed by Chuck Swecker at Aquatrek, Chuck is also a 1st Lt. for Roanoke City. The course has been a lot of fun. I can definitely see myself diving for the rest of my life. If any of you locals want to get into it let me know and I will get you connected. After one more day of check out dives I will be a certified diver. Next week I plan on going diving while vacationing in Nags Head.

On another note, I heard that Ladder 1 had a pick off at the low water dam today. For those of you not in Roanoke, we have been experiencing a lot of rain and the accustomed localized flooding from that rain. From what I hear, some idiots decided to put a canoe in the water at Wasena Park. Soon after their journey began Battalion 1 happened to notice them in the water. Then, like it was scripted, the canoe overturned (big shock huh). But the guys at 1 along with Battalion 1 and RS-1 got the job done. I am sorry if I left out any other units on scene, this is just from the report I got.

Which is a good segue into the next story I would like to hit on. Why doesn't the City force Ssunny Shah at the Ramada Inn on Franklin to post signs indicating that if we get rain their cars will float away. I have noticed that for the past several seasons of heavy rain the patrons of the Ramada Inn have lost their cars to flood damage. If you didn't know, most insurance plans do not cover flooding.

Finally to rap up, Victory Stadium is being torn down. As if to reiterate the point that the Stadium is susceptible to flooding the flood waters once again nearly covered the playing field at Victory Stadium. Meanwhile the wrecking ball continues to devour the old icon.