No Way Jose

I've always loved a good storm. There is a certain electricity in the air, lots of excitement around town and usually news reporters since we live out on the "elbow" of Cape Cod. Recent storms like Harvey and Irma were not "good storms". The flooding, death and destruction was tragic. A good Cape Cod storm is a strong Nor'Easter which is what "they" are predicting Hurricane Jose to be. No one is boarding up shops or houses, there is not a run on water, but people have moved or REmoved boats. I went out this afternoon to take some pre-storm photos. The problem with a strong storm around this time of the year is that a lot of leaves fall off the trees and the salt water flying through the air causes a lot of fall flowers to die. Here's a little taste of pre-Jose.....

 Hazel's, always ready for a party

Riptide

Skiffs piled up

Sandy She Was

Hurricane Sandy was a very big, dangerous, unbelievable storm. Thankfully, Cape Cod did not take a direct hit like New Jersey or we would be the nightly news. The storm here was more exciting than something to fear. We went out the day before, the morning of, the day of at high tide and the next day. We had 2 "snow" days, maybe they should be called "storm days", off of school. We stayed inside during the peak, but were part of a large crowd of storm chasers during the rest. The gusts were definitely over 70mph and you could lean right into them. We didn't get the rain, which was a blessing. Here are a couple pictures of the before and after...

We had a little fun with the wind...

This was 3 hours before high tide with the water crashing into the parking lot (haha, the girls got a little wet on this one).

One of the marinas whose parking lot and building spent days of high tides, flooded.

Say a prayer for all those who were affected so much more adversely than us. The pictures coming out of NYC and New Jersey are indescribable. You can text 90999 and donate $10 to the Red Cross.

Sundays in My City (Irene Edition)

Went out for an hour long drive around to survey the storm action with K, B and my mom.

When I drove into my parents driveway, my dad was catching some hurricane rays (yes, the sun was out)...

The Fish Pier at high tide was flooding a bit..

Looks like someone is going to need a new kite..

 The beach that was so calm yesterday was quite choppy today...

One of the stores downtown put out the welcome mat..

20 minutes into our ride it started pouring so badly that I had to take this picture through the window..

Then the sun came out again..
Perfect time to swing, right?

The girls attempted to see how strong the wind really was..

This is usually a dock I take wedding pictures on. I have never seen it under water before..

Found one tree down, convienently short enough not to hit the house..

A little road flooding..

 
And some pretty clouds in the sky..

Thankfully we missed the brunt of this storm, but I already heard that another one was brewing in the atlantic....
Hope you are safe!

Pre-Irene

T'was the day before Irene,
And all through the town,
Businesses were boarded up,
Beaches closed down.

Some stores made webs,
Of pretty blue tape,

While others used both,
Not leaving a gape.

The storm flags were flying,
While the people flocked,

To the shore to see some seals,
Boy did they squalk!

The ocean lay still,
Some people they sat,
Pretending Irene was far away,
And the water would stay flat.

The fishing gear was pulled out,
The boats secured and tied,

The family boats right out front,
Hoping to ride the tide.

There is humor to be found,
When shooting pre-storm pics,

Hopefully the wind,
Will only drop a few sticks.

Frag'n Friday

It's been awhile since I fragged, so perhaps that means I have lots of little bits in my head...

Number one: I cannot get this song out of my head. And of course I picture my longest friend's husband dancing to it with a cigar in his hand.



Why this song? Well there is a rather large hurricane named
Irene(rhymes with Eileen) coming up the east coast right now (in case you hadn't heard about it).

The east also had an earthquake this week. I did not feel it, but I guess some Cape Codders did. I laughed at the pictures of people's lawn furniture being turned over, or the crooked picture on the wall. However, it is sort of creepy to have an earthquake and a hurricane within a week of each other on the East coast. What exactly does this mean?

Come Hell or High Water I am going to Maine for my vacation week. This is the first time I have used this phrase that it could be taken literally. Stupid Irene better not get in my way. Shit, there goes the chorus of that song again through my head. (That is the Hell part, people).

We start school after Labor Day and there is required summer reading. Every summer it is a battle because it often involves lots of writing. We just ran and got ice-cream where there was a sign that said, "Hey, your teacher called. Better do your reading." Maybe my kids aren't the only ones?

Little Dude's sister turned 1 this week! She is so cute!

Patty from A Day in My NYC has won the little Monsta IPhone that I was giving away!!! Yay Patty! Next week a little something from Hallmark.

Have a great weekend and don't forget to prepare for the storm if you need to. And I am sorry if you now have that song in your head, but at least you feel my pain.

The Hurricane That Wasn't

Hurricane Earl was heading toward the North East,

They shouted, "This one's going to be a BEAST!"

Some used plywood to board up their store,


Some went crazy and used tape galore!

The hurricane flags were flying from every mast,

Stories surfaced of hurricanes of the past.

The news reporters were here and in their glory,

Not just one... they ALL had to get a hold on the story.

The fishing boats were moved from their pier,

To a much safer harbor, where the wind wouldn't cause fear.

The theory was that anything could happen over night,

Category 1 or 2 where everything could take flight.

Or maybe, just maybe it would stay off shore,

And really be a lot of hype, and just a snore.

We awoke to see what might have been uprooted,

The strength of the non-storm might have been disputed,

But as I looked outside to see in the early dawn,

I noticed all of 3 twigs had fallen on my lawn.

The Calm Before the Storm

As hurricane Earl careens toward the Eastern seaboard, their is a slight hum going around town. This is the same hum that you can feel before a Nor'Easter (big snow storm). It's the hum of excited anticipation. I am not sure if this happens in other parts of the country, but I think New Englanders actually like the anticipation of a good storm. It's exciting. It's something to talk about. It's an excuse to hunker down, eat junk food by candlelight and listen to the wind blow around.

My experiences with hurricanes are both memorable.

Gloria hit in the fall of 1985. I was enjoying my freshman year at Bates College in Maine. We had a big window in our room and had to tape it up with duct tape. The upperclassmen in my dorm, got a keg or 2, put it in the basement and had a hurricane party for the dorm. We stayed up all night and once the wind started to die down, I convinced the only freshman I knew with a car to take 5 of us to my summer house in Ogunquit (about 1 1/2 hours away) to make sure it was ok. My house was fine, but some of the hotels on the water didn't fare so well. We watched the sun rise near Nubble Light in York and it was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen.

Bob hit in August of 1991. By this point, I was living on Cape Cod. Most of my friends were fishermen with trucks and boats. Matt and his brother spent the night on their boat tucked into a small inlet. They did this by choice, they felt that they could protect their livelihood by being with it and willing it to survive the storm. They did and it did. The thing I remember most is driving around town early the next morning and surveying the damage. The smell in the air was incredible. It was an overwhelming smell of fresh wood. Unfortunately, it was because so many trees fell and chainsaws were clearing them out of the streets. I had never seen so many trees uprooted from the ground. There were boats on beaches, flooding so much that houses were moved off their foundations and green leaves everywhere. That was the year that fall came early without even changing color.

So now we wait and stayed glued to the Weather Channel. I have to chuckle every time they show the 7 day forecast because it shows rain and wind for Friday and Saturday. Yeah, just a little rain and wind. I certainly don't wish for hurricanes or bad storms, but I do like the buzz beforehand. I hit the grocery store yesterday to grab an extra water, a loaf of bread, chocolate chips(definitely need brownies for a storm!) and some cold cuts. I was there before the big rush that will probably be later today and definitely tomorrow morning, if indeed Earl decides to vacation on Cape Cod. A friend of mine said D size batteries had already been sold out by yesterday afternoon and by tonight there won't be a flashlight within 20 miles.

I will be sure to have my camera charged and ready to go for when the sun shines the next day as if nothing had happened.

Prelude to Bill

So, we are just getting brushed by Hurricane Bill tonight, but B and I thought we would give you a little look at the calm before the storm (so to speak).

The view from what we fondly call "Hazel's Shanty" of the beach.

A seagull hanging out.

The gale warning flag at the Coast Guard station.

The sky was pretty cool. You couldn't see the waves crashing on the outer beaches due to the fog, but you sure could hear them!

I tried to picnik this and show you exactly where Hazel's Shanty is, but my dinosaur of a computer kept shutting down on the picnik site. VERY annoying! Anyway, toward the left of the photo there is a little gray garden shed with a white door and a little window. It is on maybe 1/2 tenth of an acre of lawn. It once was a regular house with about 10 other houses as neighbors. A storm came in the late 80's and decimated the neighborhood (basically the neighborhood fell into the ocean). My sister's husband's family (got that?) who own the land, put up a little shed and a few picnic tables. It is a perfect spot to sit and watch the water!

B's idea to take this picture of her walking in the water and it was a good one!

Someone's beautiful garden. No, definitely not mine. Since it is on the ocean, it could be killed off tonight because of the salt spray.

Should be a rocking and rolling time at the wedding I have to get to at 5:30 on the beach! Yee-ha!