Hurricane Sandy's Effect on Country Trees

I had planned on working remotely a few days after Hurricane Sandy, but S. had called to say that things were a bit touch and go there as far as telephone/internet access. And electricity for that matter. So I held off going up a few extra days. When I drove up last Friday evening there was a marked moment in the drive where things suddenly got darker than usual, and there were still a few big trees that hadn't been removed from the country roads. It was striking to see all the downed wires and old trees that had met their ends as a result of Sandy. My neighborhood in Philadelphia was almost entirely untouched. We never lost power nor did we experience flooding. In fact, there's a travel coffee mug on our deck table, which even during the windiest and most rainy part of the storm, didn't budge an inch. We were lucky of course, especially compared to NYC or the Jersey shore. The country also didn't fare quite as well. The next morning I woke up far earlier than I meant to, and instead of just going back to sleep I decided to take a walk to see what could be seen as far as trees down. This tree fell smack dab on some group of wires.

Same tree, different angle.

Bird house becomes mouse house?

I found it interesting that the inside of this tree was hollowed out a bit. Obviously it had already been cut, but had it already been like that? Or did some intrepid animal quickly think that a little digging out the tree remainder could become a nice home?

Poor little fence.

This was just a pretty view.

Yup, already starting to be cut down to size, but the damage to the fence remains.

As a kid I was always sort of amazed by the ability to age a tree by counting its rings.

I am still pretty amazed by it, but also by the images that can be captured/created over the years.

Poor trees.

This storm was no joke.

No joke at all.

This tells the story of one tree falling on another, and that one also succumbing to the wet ground and strong winds.

Yup. They went down together.

Whooooooooosh.

And on a political note. The jerks who put these stickers on these signs are, I'm sure, quite disappointed with the results of our election. I, frankly, can't understand how we can be so divided about issues that seem so obvious. Gay marriage is a civil rights issue and anyone who feels like it is anything else than that is a terrible combination of ignorant and hateful. I know that's not very charitable, but for me it's true. Though I am not gay, it hurts me to the core to think that people truly think they are somehow 'better' or 'more worthy' of the rights and privileges that come with a legally recognized marriage. I think for many of us with that basic vantage point, the true thing that 'sticks in our collective craws' is the fact that extending the rights of marriage, or serving openly in the military, for gay/lesbian/etc does not in any way actually affect the lives of people who oppose it. They think it does. But seriously, they are wrong. I'm getting angry and sick just thinking about this, so I'm going to end it. But I do have to write some sort of something about just how I feel about the strange polarization that's going on and how it's hard to figure it out.

By The Way

Barack Obama won the election last night. I stood in no lines to vote. And I am so glad. Though I wonder what's going to happen now, all these people united for this one man, each and every one with a different expectation of what he can accomplish? I would like to see people coming together more, finding ways to hold a belief without forcing it upon another. Finding a way out of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would also be pretty cool. And a magical way to avoid any more seriously long-term and even more detrimental blows to our economy. And what about Proposition 8...that's pretty fucked, if you'll excuse my language.

That said, sincerely I am still hopeful and glad.

I Hope

So, it seems that deep down I'm an optimist, and I really almost totally want to (and do?) believe that today's whole 'election' situation will not end in the majority of my nearest and dearest groaning...for the third straight time...But then I've seen a few of McCain's latest campaign commercials and I wonder if I'm underestimating the ease with which others can be intimidated, riled up and misled.

Deep down though? I just really think that everything's going to be fine.