A tornado touched down in my neighborhood last Wednesday.  This was what remains of our neighbor's shed.  It is wooded where we live, with very large trees.  Branches broke off and impaled themselves into the ground.

It all happened so quickly.  I was in the car with my daughter when it got very dark and the car was rocked by the wind.  We were frantically trying to get home to meet the boys off the bus, but every road we turned down was blocked by fallen trees and wires.  Luckily, they got into the house safely and we arrived home a few minutes later.

This gives you an idea of the scale of the trees that came down.  That's Maddy in the corner.

Power outages closed schools for two days.  On Thursday, with nothing to do inside, the kids ran around outside all day playing adventurous games and checking out the damage.  Wednesday night, all the neighbors came to our house for Chinese food in candlelight.  Last night, we went to their house and grilled burgers and dogs by the campfire.  When the lights flickered on at 4 a.m., I hopped up and turned everything off and went back to sleep, full of relief that I won't have to endure another day with no power (and no plumbing as we have well water).  What a fun adventure it's been!

Added later...I let the kids take the camera around to shoot some photos and these were taken by them.  It's fun to see their perspective, plus it was nice and quiet at home while they were out talking to our neighbors to get their first hand accounts of the story... 

Comments

[Annie]

That second picture sent chills down my spine. And the thought of you driving home---trying to get to your boys---I can only imagine how terrified you were. Thank God everyone is OK. And thank God for power- especially with the plumbing "issue". :)

[colleen]

Holy Cow!!!! That is just so scary. I have well water too and know exactly what you mean. I HATE when the power goes off fo rhtat reason alone!

[Kathy]

Oh my goodness, Mary Beth. Thankfully you are all fine. How incredibly scary.

[Diane E]

Good to hear no one was injured. Close to us they think a twister touched down, as it wiped out a small, older neighborhood.

[Jessica]

How scary. Glad everyone is safe and you've managed to turn it into a fun adventure.

[Jill]

The photos are chilling. So glad you are all safe. You have had more than your share of disasters this spring. Time for summer and some easier days!

[crzjane]

So glad to know that you and your family are safe.
And your power is back on!

[Beth S.]

Amazing. Things like this Just Don't Happen in the northeast, you know? We get buried under snowdrifts instead. We're used to that. But not tornadoes!

Boy, I'm glad that first shot was just a shed and not their house.

[jody]

wow - what a scary thing to go through. i'm glad to hear everyone is OK.

[Stacie]

So glad you are ok!

[Siow Chin]

Glad to know that you all are unhurt, MB!

[monica]

I'm glad you and your family are ok!

[Ruth]

What a scare! I am so glad you and yours are okay.

[Suzanne]

How frightening! I am so glad you and your family are o.k. We have big trees by our house, too, and every storm scares me.

Suzanne

[Kim]

Oh my! Thankfully you and your family were ok....how scary!

[Sharon]

Mother Nature's temper is just a bit too up close and personal there. Wow! That's a whole lot more adventure than I would want. And I'm sure you've had enough to last you forever too. Stay safe, Mary Beth.

[Kathy]

Reminds me of growing up in Michigan, I remember well having a few childhood memories of my own just like this one. So glad to know that everyone made it home safely!