Hurricane (and Its Aftermath) Report

For those who have been worried or just plain wondering, please accept my apologies for not posting sooner. My home lost power at noon on Sunday and it was just restored sometime today. That meant not doing a lot of things, including emailing and blogging.

I think we weathered the storm pretty well. The strongest wind gusts here were probably 56 mph, and I think less than 6 inches of rain fell. It could have been a lot worse.

On Sunday during the storm, I went outside to check on things. During some strong gusts of wind, I put my hands on the JayBee's walls; it was not moving at all in the wind. Very reassuring! It sure was collecting water in the tarps, though.

The cinder blocks worked great at securing all the building materials. Nothing moved; no tarps even tore.

I was surprised by the stretches during the storm when the wind was howling but it wasn't raining. During one, I went for a short walk. Yes, there was storm debris in the road--branches and leaves.

And the river was wild. These still images just don't do the moment justice. The howling roar of the wind and the blow-me-over gusts were so much more dramatic than these still shots captured. (I tried recording some video using my new iPhone, but clearly I need to practice more; nothing I shot is worth sharing.)

Late Sunday, I went out to check things again and discovered that a willow tree next to my driveway had broken off and fallen right across my driveway.

Monday morning, I went out at 4:00 a.m. to clear away the smaller branches. Once it was light at 6:00, I tried to use my chain saw. I just could not get it started.

I knew if I was going to get to work no later than 8:00, I couldn't wait around for help. So, I got out the hand saw. I started by cutting off the side branches.

Then I cut through the trunk.

Finally, I wrestled the trunk out of the driveway. (I'm sure the curse words helped!)

I didn't want to leave all this water in the JayBee, so I began pouring and bailing. I ended up filling my shoes with water (it was ankle deep in there!) and getting completely soaked.

Anyone want to go swimming?

While I was crawling around in the water and struggling with water laden tarps, Bear had his own agenda.

Even with the tree cutting and trailer bailing Monday morning, I made it to work on time!

I caught this picture this morning (Tuesday) as I was leaving for work. The river has been swollen over its banks at high tide, and a canoeist was out there enjoying it very early.

I haven't checked the upcoming weather, but hopefully I'll be able to work on the JayBee this weekend and post pictures of it uncovered and fully intact.