Hurricane Ike Hits Columbus

I know that the damage in Columbus left by the windstorms on Sunday doesn't compare to what is happening on the gulf coast, but I had to show pictures of a bit what we're seeing here. There are still about 250,000 people without power here in Columbus, and the debris and trees are slowly being cleaned off the roads and yards. Small-town girl that I am, I see one big bonfire as a perfect solution to all of this fallen lumber!

Ike hit us on Sunday and lasted about 6 hours and what is being described as a "dry hurricane" by some. Winds gusted upwards of 70 mph (categorized as hurricane-force winds) and took down giant trees and power lines across the state. The picture above was taken just near where Nick and I used to live - you can see the tree is laying on the power lines. I took this on Wednesday.

The picture above is a house 1 block from us. Some of you might recognize this house as the one Nick and I were originally looking at to buy! Thank you, God! Power was restored in our neighborhood last night at 8 p.m., after 3 days without power. We lost the contents of our fridge and freezer, but our chest freezer (READ: strawberry jam!) was OK!


Maeby, on the other hand, is LOVING the fact that there are sticks on the ground everywhere! She almost looks a little overwhelmed at times. I took her for a walk in the ravine 1 block from our house today, and she just kept running all over, picking sticks up only to find a better one 2 feet away. The pictures above and below are from the ravine.

Strangely enough, it has been and looks like it will continue to be a stunningly beautiful fall week! I'm sure it's helping with the clean up and power restoration, though.