tropical storm irene

we've been in new hampshire for a mere three and a half weeks and we've already had an earthquake, a hurricane and massive flood warnings. it's been interesting to say the least. 

saturday night we hunkered down for what was expected to be a major rain and wind storm. we made sure we had alternate sources of light and heat on hand and even purchased some extra water just in case. sunday morning came and so did the rain. we went to church around midday and expected it to be full blown by the time we got out three hours later. instead, the storm was gone. i was quite surprised and, i have to admit, a bit disappointed. 

i feel kind of strange saying that, but it's the truth. i was expecting much worse and instead it came and went like any old heavy rainstorm. 

or so i thought. 

i watched the news that night and there were flood warnings all around our area. in the map they showed we were about a mile or less outside the dangerous zones. monday the sun shone bright and it was a warm, beautiful day. i drove to the grocery store per my usual routine to pick up food for the week. as i drove 5 miles south to the store, i began to notice lots of construction vehicles, a few traffic lights not working and vacant parking lots. 

instead of cars, the parking lots were filled with dust. dust that was, a short 12 hours before, mud washing its way through the streets and stores. 

i began to see that just 5 miles south, the aftermath of irene was much different. the vermont side of the river didn't fare so well. streets and bridges were washed away, stranding many families. homes and belongings were swept down the river leaving destruction in their wake. 

needless to say, we feel very blessed to be where we are and to have had no damage to our home, car or family. i'm not feeling so disappointed anymore.

*photos courtesy of brittani curtis. my iphone just didn't do the scenes justice.