Irene in pictures . . .

Locally, the crisis has subsided - all roads leading to the bagel shop are now open. And personally, the storm wasn't much of a crisis for me: my house remained dry and intact, and I spent the better part of three days playing with my chainsaw, smoking cigars, and jawing with neighbors and guys with big trucks. Not exactly a hardship.*

The Hudson Valley overall, however, was pretty hard hit. One of the local papers has been encouraging readers to submit photos. A bunch are here:

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/_flash/gallery/gallery.html&Site=TH&Date=20110829&Category=NEWS51&ArtNo=829009999&Ref=PHtarget=new

Last time I checked, their paywall was down for hurricane coverage. The photos are a mixture of the mundane, the goofy and, unfortunately, the tragic. There are even a few extremely beautiful shots in the mix.

Looking at the pictures is oddly nostalgic - you think: I lived just down the street from that road collapse, I got my hair cut in the place across from that lake-filled avenue, I was just down that way last week . . .

Things are even worse further north and in Vermont. Our prayers are with you . . .

*Floyd was a different story, but we don't talk about him...