Storm Stories

Hey LoverMan!
It was very scary and exciting. We had just finished our teacher's cell meeting in way south Austin when it hit. We only made it about two blocks from M's store, then we had to take shelter in a car wash slot. Street signs and tree branches were blowing around like paper! It was so furious I was sure it would pass over very quickly but it just kept getting worse. Then the hail started! I'm pretty sure we were huddled under the car wash for 20-30 minutes. Then we headed towards I-35 and missed it because we couldn't see the exit! Some people were driving slow like us, others were driving as fast as if there was nothing going on. The lightning show was dazzling as we headed north into the wind, and the rain made windhield wipers superfluous. Heading into the neighborhood, we had to drive around tree branches in the streets. Then I was home and S had to head back to south Austin. Talk about friendship above and beyond. The worst was over by then, though. T had candles on when I got in. He had decided to go for an adventure walk in the storm when it started, got halfway down the block when there was an explosion and he saw a wedge of the sky lit up bright orange. That was when the power went out, and he ran home, adventure abandoned! So he thought. Then a huge thud and crunch hit the house and he looked in the backyard and thought a whole tree fell down. I was able to determine that our roof was not hurt, but two of J's cedar elm trees lost most of their top limbs. Our back yard/side yard area is impassable, about five big limbs of 6 inch diameter are down, mostly in my backyard. It doesnt look like any of my trees lost any major limbs. T was hungry and had no idea how to cook anything that didn't involve the microwave. So I made nachos and he accepted an alcoholic beverage! We sat at the back door and watched the lightning and laughed and laughed.

The power is still out on just our side of the street. I might ask for a refrigerator rescue later on today, honey. We must save the green chile sauce! You could hear chainsaws all over the neighborhood this morning. There is a tree-killed-car on Dancy two houses north of D's place.

If the power is back on at either your place or mine we can watch the movie. But I heard that City crews are facing over 16,000 customers who are still out of juice (down from 52,000 earlier in the wee hours), might take awhile...and we are in for more thunderstorms tonight, starting at 10pm.

XO
PPI

~o}0<


>From: LoverMan
>
>I thought it was sweet for you to call last night in the storm, too bad we didn't have better connections. The power is still out. The utility company (or someone) pushed the dumpster into the alley and put tape up to block access. A power line is hanging down and running along the ground behind the complex. Trees down all over.