We hit the road around 5 a.m. to get to my parents' place at a decent time to help with cleanup today. For most of the ride up -- when I wasn't sleeping -- I tried to invision what the storm damage was going to look like. Nothing prepared me.
It is our family tradition that no matter which way we are approaching home, we would always look for the tip top of the Lone Spruce in the distance -- and when we could see it, we knew we were almost there! We were about a mile from "home" this morning and I looked for it, knowing it was no longer there, and I didn't like it.
When we got closer, the first thing we saw was the power truck out on the road. It was 9:10 a.m. and they had already erected a new pole to replace the one that snapped in half after the Lone Spruce landed on it. That was a good sign. My parents would only be 12 hours without power instead of days.
Then, when we got past the driveway and I looked right, I just about lost it. I mean I didn't know if I should puke or cry. The landscape of my childhood was gone. Just one big pile of pine.
I gave my mom and dad big, grateful hugs, then set out to work. We didn't have time to get sentimental. There was a big mess and a lot of work to do. Thankfully, all my siblings within driving distance were able to get off of work today -- and some of their chainsaw-wielding children, too -- so we accomplished a lot in one day.
Yes, I took hundreds of pictures, but I probably won't get to them until later tonight or tomorrow. I did do a video walk-through of the property so my siblings who weren't there until later (or not at all) could see the initial damages. It's an 8-minute video if you have the time. (Pardon the loud and continuous chainsaw noises that sometimes outranked my loud voice.)
If you watch it (or view still images tomorrow) you will see what I mean when I say my parents were lucky -- are lucky -- no harm came to them. Thank you, God!
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