Toto, We Are Not in Kansas Any More

It has been pretty crazy weather lately. As you can see from the pictures, we sustained some damage. Here is the story:

On Sunday, I read in the paper that we were expecting 30-40 mph winds and since we get so much wind here, I didn't really take steps to secure things. By bedtime, we could hear a creaking sound right above us, which was a new sound. Myla said the umbrella on our back deck tipped the table over and she found the umbrella down the stairs. In our room, the wind rattled so much we decided to sleep in the guest room on the main floor. (I found out later Wintergreen had winds up to 60 mph. Stupid paper.) At about 12:30, I went out to secure some things like plastic chairs and tables and a couple rain cloth covers. By the time I was in bed, I hear this big crash. I went out the front door and circled the house and went up the stairs to the back and deck and low and behold there was our chimney. Wow, I thought, this does not belong here. In the morning, we surveyed the damage. Our best guess is that the chimney fell on the roof causing two more holes, rolled off the roof on top of our deck furniture and making a hole on our deck floor, and resting in its present location. We also saw some siding dangling or missing.

Finally, with all the rain on Saturday and Sunday, the ground was soaked and with the wind, it took down a neighbor's 100-150 year old oak. We are all safe and that is the important thing. Who knew chimneys were portable and can come in different colors?

--Bryan