Hoth

I don't see any rebuild pics, but this one is interesting because it shows a bit of what Fishers looked like before the hurricane. Until the 1815 storm, Fishers was heavily forested. That cane blew down most of the trees on the island. From then until September '38, it was lots of meadows and small scrubby trees, as you can see from this picture. '38 seeded the island and it is once again in a mostly forest state today. Only a matter of time until the next big blow returns it to fields and meadows. Probably the closest house in spirit to "Windshield" on Fishers today is called "Hooverness", just around the point. Very modern open design intended to allow the owners to look upon their stunning gardens and also to make the house virtually disappear as one drives up to it. You see right through it across the water to CT.

Oh for sure. The house was cursed. Blew down in '38. Browns rebuilt it. Then it burned to the ground a few decades later. The lot where it stood is an empty field now.

Richard Neutra was his name.

That's awesome, Steve. I love weather stories like this, so let me return a short anecdote in kind. Back in the '30s, John Nicholas Brown II built a house on Fishers Island called "Windshield." It was an extremely modern structure, a passion project for Mr. Brown with lots of glass and gadgets, and was several years in planning and construction. It was finally finished in the summer of '38. The family was extremely wealthy and had a lot of help, including a trained English butler. The story goes that a few weeks after they moved in, the hurricane struck. That afternoon, the butler came into living room and announced very nonchalantly, almost casually, to Mrs. Brown, "Tea is served, madame, and, oh yes, the roof is blowing off." And blow off it did. The house was destroyed weeks after being finished.

Amen to that.

BEast cell moving into Philly.

Active during peak season? He's really sticking his neck out lol.

Effing hated that storm, or lack thereof.

Better brush up on my Greek alphabet.

Fortunately, most of those people are probably summering in Jackson Hole or Mt. Desert.

I don't think that's going to last. There is seething anger just under the surface. The recognition that the government bailed out the top ten percent in recent months by directly backstopping the stock and credit markets, while so many millions are losing jobs and small businesses, is becoming increasingly self-evident to the man on the street. The fact that the Fed is now actively trying to make inflation run hot, making basic necessities more expensive for those who are most vulnerable, just shows how effed up everything is. This is how you get breakdowns of civil society. This is how people get stirred up to the point they fantasize about dusting off the guillotines.

The funny thing is we pay a huge gas tax that is supposed to maintain those roads. Where does that money go?

Looks like we'll likely have a confirmed tornado from that warned cell in Westport. Impressive video of it coming ashore. Roof ripped off at least one house.

Utility company has been on an extensive campaign of cutting down trees near lines in my town over the last few years. Some neighborhoods look shockingly barren after years of having mature trees shading them. Didn't seem to make that much difference on Tuesday. Plenty of trees fell from well within the property lines and took out the wires.

Lawson's contract brews at least some of their stuff with Two Roads in Stratford.

Stuff coming out of Burlington Brewing is spectacular too.

Same. There was a very impressive maple up the street from me that looks like it was stepped on by a giant. Just shredded, and most of it on my neighbor's house.

Sure did. This area is a mess.

Absolutely. If this is what a mid-range tropical storm can do, I don't want to think about a cat 2 or 3.

I passed quite a few houses in a similar condition on the way home. Even saw some stripped shingles.

By some miracle, my house has power. I have no idea how. There was only one road left for me to get home. I spent the best part of an hour getting detoured by downed trees and burning powerlines. This is the most impressive tree damage I have personally witnessed. Far exceeds anything I saw in Boston in Irene or Sandy. It's a war zone out there.

Getting calls left and right about down trees.

Wind getting really feisty. Just got a report of a tree down on a car

Wind getting strong. We have multiple reports of trees down on our properties.

It's getting real. Power flickering at the office. Tree branches banging against the glass