My poor beloved Black River area!

As you may have heard (it made national news!)...

LESTERVILLE, Mo. — Water poured through a breach at a hydroelectric plant's rural reservoir in southeast Missouri on Wednesday morning, washing away homes and vehicles, authorities said.

*sigh* This is our beloved Black River area. This area is such a special place for me and Joe. No, we don't live there, we're probably about 4 hours away, but gosh we spend a lot of time there. We use to go there about every other weekend in high school for camping and float trips, continued to go a few times a year through college, and now years later we still try to go at least once or twice a year...truly some of the best times of my life! This is also where we baptized both of our boys, in the Black River, because it holds such special meaning and memories for us, and it's such a beautiful area.

The top photo is of the reservoir that broke, but the other photos here are of what parts of the area looked like BEFORE this incident. Isn't it a nice area? I just love it.

We were just there a few months ago...we took the boys for a family trip to the Black River, Johnson's Shut-Ins, and Elephant Rocks. All in that area. Actually I believe I posted about that trip, so it's probably in the archives of my blog. Yes, here it is.

Joe and I would like to be able to go down and be of some help somehow, but considering the time of year, working full-time, and what would we do with the boys, well, it just isn't very possible for us. But our hearts are definitely there!