The Buysse driveway was not passable as Col Road 61 (below left) was completely underway. The campaign signs show how high the water became and Buysse's new lake stretched out for a long ways (bottom).

By Byron Higgin, Mascot Publisher

When asked how he got out of his "island home", Larry Buysse shrugged and said, "Tractor."

He didn't used to live on an island — but he's surrounded by water in his rural farm home just off County Road 24 northeast of Minneota.

The waters not only swamped the Buysse driveway, but buried in water County Road 61 for about a quarter mile past the Buysse residence.

"Everywhere you look is a sea of blue," said Buysse.

True enough. The waters that rushed into the Minneota area on Thursday created a "lake" in the land surrounding his home."

There's water for about as far as you can see.

In the driveway, Buysse had political signs and, of-course, his mailbox. They were protruding above the water, but clearly surrounded by the sudden formation of the lake in the area.

"It was down a little," Buysse said on Saturday morning.  "It's worst on that side, but there is also water on every side of us," he said.