Richmond Blows
This Saturday, 60 mph winds blew through Richmond. And boy did they carry some drama our way. First we returned home at around noon to discover that we were without power. Now it’s no big deal to be without tv, internet, and heat for a few hours, but learning that our “estimated power restoration time” was Monday night at 10pm was quite a shock. No power for three days? Those must have been some winds.
But learning that 200,000 other people are having the same problem helped us understand why there’s such a long waiting period. At least we’re in good company. And we’re actually luckier than most, since we have a gas fireplace in the den that can essentially keep the whole house warm if necessary. Short-haired-always-cold Burger certainly appreciates the back-up warmth.
And who knew blackouts could be so entertaining? After a particularly dramatic game of Yahtzee in the dark (where I whooped John fair and square) we realized that you don’t need a tv or a computer to entertain you when you have a camera and a flashlight. Observe:
John’s funny flashlight faces are hee-larious.
And this photo of my ninja impression also cracked us up.
But then the drama really kicked into high gear when we got news of a jumbo sized pine tree FALLING ON JOHN’S SISTER’S HOUSE. Yeah, we rushed right over with our camera in tow. Now it should be noted that this is a rental house (she and her hubby are currently building their dream home and are just renting this in the meantime). So that explains why they look more amused than devastated by this event.
And that’s just the front. Here’s a view of the back.
Talk about drama, right? But the truly miraculous part of the whole thing is that this is the only known damage that the house sustained:
Which brings us back to the fact that we’re hopelessly devoted to brick ranches. What other house could get slammed by a tree and just need some touch up paint and some new window molding (and maybe a new roof, but insurance will cover that). The window pane didn’t even break, it just magically shifted downward from the weight of the branch. Gotta love a house that takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
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Sorry you lost power back in 2008. Did you guys experience the derecho of 2012? If so, have you thought about a back-up generator for your awesome house?
Oh yeah, that was so annoying! We actually didn’t get a generator because thankfully John’s parents never lose power so we just camp out over there. Haha!
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1st one!?
First!
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Dang…..ok 11 more chances :-)
Hahah!
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I like how your nerdier followers (no offense, fellow YHL fans who are spastically flipping through previous zero comment posts, but we are a little nerdy :) are now trying to be the first comment on these old posts. Keep the dream of the coveted first comment alive!
Haha it’s awesome!
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Dropping in just to prove that I read your blog even though I don’t always comment. Not the first comment on here but I’m here! :)
Wahoo!
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It’s too bad I didn’t see this back in 2008- I have a good tree falling story. When I was a 10, there was a giant wind storm in my area and my dad and neighbor went out to check out a tree (on the neighbor’s property) they were afraid was going to fall on our house. Me and my siblings went outside to play and a different tree (not the one being inspected) fell on my sister. No joke. It broke her femur and she went off to college that fall still on crutches.
She still really hates windstorms.
Oh my gosh, that’s crazy! So glad she’s ok.
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So glad that your sister and family were ok! There is surprisingly little damage done for such an enormous tree.
We weren’t so lucky a few years ago, although thank goodness that no-one was hurt. Pictures tell it best – http://cassandramadge.wordpress.com/2007/12/20/when-disaster-strikes/
It was a rental, like your sister, however we had to move out for 8 months while it got fixed. I still can’t sleep on windy nights.
Yikes! That’s so scary!
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