Living On the Ohio River

This past week has been nerve wracking. Our home sits right on the banks of the Ohio River. It is a breathtakingly beautiful place to live. And it is also pretty scary in the spring. We moved here in 1999, two years after the last major flood in southwest Ohio. During the time we've lived here our road access has been cut off a couple of times due to high water, but our house has never been flooded. And once again, this week we were spared.

Flood of 1898

Our house was built in 1890 so it has seen it's share of flooding. I applaud the Corps of Engineers and the gatekeepers at Meldahl and Markland Dams. They have done a remarkable job managing the river levels. Although the river came up over the flood wall in front of our house it is now receding.

The river lapping at the top of the flood wall.

Why do I live here knowing the potential of the river flooding? I guess every dance with nature has its pitfalls. I've lived in the city. I've lived in the suburbs. But there is nothing that compares with living near the water. Sunsets are spectacular. Water birds are fascinating. The sound of gentle waves whoosh-whooshing below my open window in the summer is as soothing as a calming lullaby.

The Ohio River is in my blood. I was two weeks old, according to my mother, the first time I was on a boat. And that was on the Ohio River. Most every summer weekend as a child, and subsequently as a teenager, was spent on a boat on the Ohio River. To live in a house on the banks of the river is a dream come true.

River sunset

So I pay my flood insurance, make sure my valuables are stored on the second floor and say a prayer every spring that Mother Nature be kind so I can look forward to another summer of magical sunsets on the beautiful Ohio River.