Hurricane Juan

[Rocky]

This is something else that hangs on my computer room wall - Hurricane Juan in 2003 on a straight path to Nova Scotia. At the top of the pic you can see the outline of Nova Scotia. The red mark is where I live.
Over the decades we've had the occasional tail end of a hurricane pass over us without much damage; not much worse than a standard nor'easter. But this time were in the path of a very destructive hurricane that wasn't degrading as we had hoped.
For the first time in my life we understood what the people in Florida felt like when they know such a destructive storm is heading straight for them and there is nothing they can do about it.
The storm arrived in the middle of the night which made it even more scarier. I lost some trees, but no damage to any buildings. It was six days before my power was restored. Telephone and water weren't harmed. This is a city of trees and the damage was significant.
All my frozen food was lost, but in the meantime I broke out the Coleman stove and we prepared meals outside just like in a our camping days.

 

[shanered6]

i think you had a very lucky escape there rocky ! lucky as it didn't make land unlucky to catch the tail of it though.
which sometimes can be worse !
very cool pic !!!!

 

[The Seeker]

Your taste in "art" might be termed a tad eccentric Rocky!!

 

[Rocky]

Your taste in "art" might be termed a tad eccentric Rocky!!

I don't know anything about art, but I know what I like - isn't that how the saying goes

 

[The Seeker]

I know what you mean......

Hundreds of thousands of people come to Pittsburgh each year to visit the Andy Warhol Museum.

I've been there once and that was enough for me to know that what THEY consider art, looks pretty much like JUNK to me!

 

[Rocky]

I like being surrounded by "stuff" I like and reflects my interests and life.
Other walls have enlarged framed photos of my travels - and the fact that I took the photos is important. I was really there.

 

[DaveM]

Seems like you have a real interesting computer room

 

[hendo01]

ART is in the eye of the beholder my freind

 

[otherwise]

ART is in the eye of the beholder my freind

No, beauty (and art) is in the eye of the beerholder.

 

[The Seeker]

No, beauty (and art) is in the eye of the beerholder.

OK...I'm stealing that! LOL!

 

[Rocky]

 

[CarlS]

Rocky, when you have lived through several of these things (we had four in one year), you make your preparations and take it in stride. You are right; there is absoluotely nothing one can do about it. One of the best investments I have made is in a generator!

 

[otherwise]

If we got them (and we don't) I'd be digging a deep hole in the ground under out house.

 

[Rocky]

Rocky, when you have lived through several of these things (we had four in one year), you make your preparations and take it in stride. You are right; there is absoluotely nothing one can do about it. One of the best investments I have made is in a generator!

Since Juan, and one of the most severe winter storms ever the following year, generator sales here have soared.
I've toyed with the idea many times, but keep putting it off.
I have a few friends who had their houses rewired and purchased generators at a high cost, but have never used them.
But I suppose it's like insurance; you buy it and hope to never have to use it.

 

[The Seeker]

You really shouldn't need to get things all wired-up for a generator (although that way is nice). But you can get a decent generator fairly cheap and just run some good extension cords from it to power your essential things.

 

[CarlS]

I did not rewire. I simply throw the master breaker, throw the breakers for the stove, ac, and hot water heater and feed the generator power through the dryer outlet. I made the pigtail for this using 8 gauge cable. I can shut down most everything and run the hot water heater.

 

[The Seeker]

My hot water is gas fired as well and the furnace (although the furnace needs electricity to circulate). A/C isn't essential here and I can heat with other means. The refrigerator and freezer are the main things needed.

 

[CarlS]

And the microwave! My generator easily takes care of the lights, TV, computer, microwave, refrigerator and freezer.

 

[The Seeker]

I could I forget the microwave????

Luckily, no hurricane is going to come over 400 miles inland to the Pittsburgh area.

Our worst case scenario would be a really bad thunderstorm with high winds or a really bad icing of the power lines and trees knocking them down with the weight of the ice.

 

[DaveM]

Glad we also don't get extreme weather like this but we were having rolling blackouts and they may be coming back soon. The last time I also looked at a generator but the overall cost just put me off. The fuel it needed to run seemed that it may become a very expensive operation if used for long periods of time.