Long Overdue

Strap yourselves in...here we go for some long overdue posts. First, the storm.

I got another nasty-o-gram in my comments box after I blogged about the tornado. In case you missed it, it said.

"We almost died? How about pay homage to the family in Colona who lost a child and has 2 seriously injured in the STORM NOT a tornado as you have previously stated. A little overdramatic, you think?"

Anyone else think anonymously commented negatively on a blog just seems a bit silly? Alas I must be honest with my gets-their-jollies-from-anonymous-blog-commenting...he/she is right in that the weather people did say it was a STORM (I liked how you used all caps, my new friend) not a TORNADO. However, 100mph winds, whether from a funnel cloud or not, creates the same devastation. It was a storm that masked itself as a tornado. But here are the pictures I promised. Overdramatic, possibly, seeings we obviously did not perish (and please, don't pretend to know how much the Colona family haunts or does not haunt my reality dearest stranger, it just makes you sound ignorant). But here are pictures, though it might not be as telling of a picture for those of you that did not see camp before, it will certainly for those who had.

I apologize in advance for being an ass, but being an ass begets being an ass so there you have it.

Tree that fell too close to the window Dailah sleeps under.



One of the coolest parts of the morning was finally reaching the point where cars could get into camp and seeing this. A dozen or so cars who came within a few hours to help clean up the mess. God's grace is bountiful.



This tree damaged the machine shed and landed where the horses roamed, amazingly enough, no horse was injured in the STORM.



Our front yard which now houses a large tree. Most of our lawn ornaments (i.e. kids' toys) were thrown amidst this downed tree.



One shot of our house through the rubble.



Another shot of the house and neighboring trees. Dramatic or not, try telling me that tree couldn't have created large scale devastation in our small family.



Just a big arse tree that couldn't withstand the STORM.



The only way in or out of camp.



Last tree before breaking into the relative calmness where all the cars were (and, in this case, where my mom-in-law Terre had parked to help us with our Exodus from the house).



Terre in the middle of the above tree breaking the heavy silence with the quip, "Does this tree make my butt look small?" (Just ask why I love that woman? Not only does she use humor in the face of sadness, as I do as well, but she's carrying her weight on her back to get us out in one load.)



Just to show how big the tree is, that, had it fallen the opposite way, could've landed on the house...that is a man attempting to cut it down with a saw.