So, after a brutal winter that rarely got above freezing, and a spring that has provided major thunderstorms every other day (and taught me about water in basements), the summer has brought the first actual casualty. I was wrapping up things at work last night but then felt the need to stay on as I wrote an awkward email to my favorite coworker. Can't decide if that was good or bad as a brutal storm hit. It felt like it was 10pm outside (it was 4:50pm), so dark and then the hail started to hit, then the power went out. Went outside and saw pieces of the building all around and large piles of hail - looked like someone just dumped coolers of ice around in piles everywhere (see pic of hail at my home 2 hours after the storm had hit). When the winds & hail died down, I made a break for the parking garage through the river that was 42nd St and street lights out (cars did not want to stop for me and it was till pouring!).

Driving home was a mess. It took 1 hour to drive 2.3 miles. From flooded streets, to trees blocking every other road to police not letting go the way I needed (I was oh so close (2 blocks) and when I asked if I could go that way and how I could get home (it was the 3rd time I'd tried that intersection) the officer yelled at me "It's not my problem, figure it out!"). To give some perspective - there was the annual Memorial Park concert and fireworks (Kool and the Gang plus .38 Special this year) planned at 6pm so there were a lot of people at the park (blocks from my home) and people at work were told to stay there until after the storm had passed, so the roads in that area were full of cars, even if it was dangerous to be out (I drove under several broken trees that could fall at any moment and over logs and curbs at places).

When I finally got to my block, the neighbors were out giving me condolences so I know something bad had happened. Nothing I could see and just a few large branches were down on the block, but then I saw it. My front large tree was split down the middle. I was so relieved that it didn't hit the house (I had seen several cars and homes flattened by trees on my drive home). See the pictures. Some friends came over for food and games anyway which was good for cheering me up.

I'm off to go help remove the tree - the rest will have to be taken down some other day, but it doesn't look like it will live. Maybe seeing WALL-E will be another nice escape this weekend.