Long Island checking in.
Just got into the office where there is power and innerwebs. One of the 90% at home, though. :( Thoughts and prayers to all who sat through this, especially those who reeeally felt the wrath of Sandy.
Four different paths out of my neighborhood, only one clear. The house is unscathed as is JT's Treehouse!

, but I have neighbors who are seriously ####ed. 60 foot trees lying on their roofs. Sooo glad we decided 4 years ago to take down the three 60 footer evergreens that surrounded our house. My son and I took a ride Monday night- we
thought before the #### hit the fan- to check out the high tide near us. The water had left behind debris marking the high water mark a block inland. In my thirty years up here it had never even breached the shore road before. Turned tail and drove home when a tree crashed across the road a couple of hundred feet in front of us!! A past chief of the local volunteer FD who lives two doors down from me and spent Monday night responding to calls tells me that-based on the amount of "tree downage"- he wouldn't be surprised if we aren't back up and running for... TWO WEEKS!
Observations:
1. Buy homes near a firehouse- they are a priority when it comes to power restoration. Small businesses on Main street near the firehouse were up and running. The couple of restaurants, bars, one of two pizzerias and the one Chinese take were packed last night. 2 hour wait at the pizza place- pies only! Amen to our Coleman stove and stores of canned/freeze dried food!
2.
TRAFFIC LIGHTS OUT AT FOUR WAY INTERSECTION DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE THE GREEN! It becomes a four way stop! Local news and radio needs to broadcast this every 15 minutes. After what I saw this morning I wouldn't be surprised to see a significant number of casualties...
3. Stockpiling beer for a hurricane loses it's luster when you have children in the house...
4. Women of eastern European heritage CANNOT look at a yard full of leaves and branches and do nothing. Especially after hunting down an extra large cup of 7-11 coffee...
5. Post cleanup late night sponge baths with the MRS are kinda neat...
6. Lastly- for now- some heavy reading and board game playing up in here so far. My son is currently brainstorming a first person POV video game wherein the player starts out as a budding tropical storm down in the South Atlantic and works his way north. Amazing what can get done when the power goes out.

to come as soon as I can manage that.