Sophie, our Siamese, surveys the backyard as both Irene and August wave goodbye. When we took trips, as a family to Old Orchard Beach, Palace Playland, the stretch of kids' amusement rides, was always the prime destination. I loved the ride through the Fun House. I was a bit apprehensive boarding, screaming mid-ride and very relieved seeing the 'light of day' at the end of the tunnel. It was a lot like the ride we took Sunday aboard Hurricane Irene, minus the screaming. Weathermen, these days on 24/7 cable TV, seem to always get things stirred up. Make sure you have available or nearby if needed: bottled water, batteries, sand bags, plywood, sump pumps, extension cords, radio, prepackaged food, important papers in plastic, ample supply of your medication, a prearranged spot for the family to meet and cell phones charged. And probably about 40-50 other things to check off the to do list that I have forgotten. Saturday, we brought in the deck furniture, secured the grill, covered the wood pile, brought in the hanging plants, filled the generator, made extra ice for the freezer, and checked the sump pump connection. The outer bands started impacting us around midnight. When I awoke Sunday morning about 5 AM, the rain was coming down in sheets, buffeted by the wind, mostly at a 45 degree angle. It came in spurts, poured for 20 minutes then a lull for 5 or so, and then it started up again. By noon the rain had ended, and for the next day of so we sat on the porch and watched Irene's gusts put on a show. We lost our power for just 22 hours, got no water in the cellar, and the dying maple on the front lawn survived to live another month. In the big picture of things, 'it was nuttin'. Friends on the East Coast, in New Jersey, New York State, New Hampshire and Vermont had it significantly much worst and are still trying to put their lives back into some semblance of normal. Even our state's Lake's Region and towns in the western mountains are still struggling to dig out of debris. So our home and yard were dealt a pretty weak hand by Irene, but all we could do was play what we had. So for us, this summer storm left with a whimper, and that was just fine with us. For us it was a big sigh of Relief!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Irene's Wake
Sophie, our Siamese, surveys the backyard as both Irene and August wave goodbye. When we took trips, as a family to Old Orchard Beach, Palace Playland, the stretch of kids' amusement rides, was always the prime destination. I loved the ride through the Fun House. I was a bit apprehensive boarding, screaming mid-ride and very relieved seeing the 'light of day' at the end of the tunnel. It was a lot like the ride we took Sunday aboard Hurricane Irene, minus the screaming. Weathermen, these days on 24/7 cable TV, seem to always get things stirred up. Make sure you have available or nearby if needed: bottled water, batteries, sand bags, plywood, sump pumps, extension cords, radio, prepackaged food, important papers in plastic, ample supply of your medication, a prearranged spot for the family to meet and cell phones charged. And probably about 40-50 other things to check off the to do list that I have forgotten. Saturday, we brought in the deck furniture, secured the grill, covered the wood pile, brought in the hanging plants, filled the generator, made extra ice for the freezer, and checked the sump pump connection. The outer bands started impacting us around midnight. When I awoke Sunday morning about 5 AM, the rain was coming down in sheets, buffeted by the wind, mostly at a 45 degree angle. It came in spurts, poured for 20 minutes then a lull for 5 or so, and then it started up again. By noon the rain had ended, and for the next day of so we sat on the porch and watched Irene's gusts put on a show. We lost our power for just 22 hours, got no water in the cellar, and the dying maple on the front lawn survived to live another month. In the big picture of things, 'it was nuttin'. Friends on the East Coast, in New Jersey, New York State, New Hampshire and Vermont had it significantly much worst and are still trying to put their lives back into some semblance of normal. Even our state's Lake's Region and towns in the western mountains are still struggling to dig out of debris. So our home and yard were dealt a pretty weak hand by Irene, but all we could do was play what we had. So for us, this summer storm left with a whimper, and that was just fine with us. For us it was a big sigh of Relief!
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belle photo de cette petite curieuse ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you were spared.
ReplyDeleteoh, if only our poor little state had weathered the storm with such grace. love this shot, bird.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shot Birdman, so happy for Elenka, yourself and the Maple tree (even it if is only for a month or so) that you came out of a scary situation relatively unscathed.
ReplyDeletesweet shot and happy to hear that you weathered the storm :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad everything is ok with you. Sorry about the other folks that had more damage and disruption.
ReplyDeleteThe antics of the on the scene reporters were hilarious.
Beautifully photographed image ...
ReplyDeleteSo very glad to hear you are both well. It must has been quite a weekend for everyone there.
ReplyDeletethat is a beautiful photo of your cat...
ReplyDeleteglad you are fine there - overly prepared or not. sad that so many others are still waiting for power and assistance.
I have to say that I was surprised at the amount of inland damage that came with this storm Glad you were spared the worst of it.
ReplyDeletegreat portrait
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I am glad everything is fine and that you and your family are okay.
ReplyDeleteI am very glad Irene turned out to be not as bad as expected. But I still think it's good to take precautions. Better to be overprepared than underprepared!
ReplyDeleteGlad you survived unscathed!
ReplyDeleteSo are lace curtains a theme today (saw brattcats. . .)? I am glad Irene did not hit too hard there (tho 22 hrs w/out power is a challenge). Haven't heard anything about inland Maine - other than your notes.
ReplyDeleteNow you are likely prepared for any future storms this fall. I really believe it is far better to be safe than sorry. Yes, sometimes the weathermen sound like they are :crying wolf? but OH how the public would complain if a big storm came along and no one had warned them. It's impossible to please everyone, I'm afraid. I'm sooo glad Irene was less than expected. :)
ReplyDeleteNo kidding, sigh of relief. Unfortunately like you said others did not fair so well. Isn't it nice to prepare in advance instead of recover after.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear Irene left you alone (for the most part). I wonder if Katia is coming your way. At least it sounds like you'll be prepared!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful lace in the window!
That lace was in our home when I was just a tiny thing. I remember my mom washed them, probably once a year, and had this huge wooden frame type of thing, that stood on its own, outside, and the lace was stretched to dry on little nails all around the perimeter!! I have cut them to make smaller curtains, but they are literally starting to fall apart.
ReplyDeleteToo bad.
She's a cutie!
ReplyDeleteBirdman -- Agree that the weather folks get a little hyped on storms. Sometimes in my state they seem to be like Henny Penny, "the sky is falling." Yet, overall it is a good service to have some idea of what is coming at us. Like your window and cat photo -- she does look like she is watching the storm dwindling along with August days. -- barbara
ReplyDelete