Local Sandy damage

I really love this photo, even though I think this type of shot with rain drops in focus on a window is really overdone. I just like the leaf's texture with the rain, and anyone can easily identify that this is fall. I took this just as I was setting out to survey some Sandy storm damage. What I found was mainly down trees, a few low wires, and some large puddles, but not much flooding or people repairing things just yet. Some people had collected loose branches in the yard for trash pickup this week, but the larger logs were mainly just still sitting in yards. No structural damage from where I drove either, other than a gutter on a house that I took a photo of below. I went through my neighborhood and the next one over, to Marchwood, then Exton, down into Downingtown, and then around Shamona Creek Elementary. I also threw in a few Instagrams on the bottom in case anyone doesn't use the app.

 

 

This was the field goal on the football practice/gym field at my old high school, Downingtown High School East. It must have easily blown over in the wind, but it looked interesting and symmetrical lying there, so I took the photo. Wish I could have gotten it from overhead. I don't normally shoot things this rectangular, but I think it looks nice and clean the way it fills out a blog, so I've looked at crops like these for the past few blog posts.

This stop sign is from a bank across from a miniature golf course and driving range near me. It had almost been leveled (then again, it could have been like this before the storm if someone hit it, I'm not sure, I hadn't seen it pre-Sandy).

All three of the photos above are from the same tree, the picture above is just an iPhone photo (not Instagrammed though). The tree was down in the Lionville Elementary school parking lot off of Route 113. It looked as though it had just fallen over from weight pulling it out of the soaking wet ground. It actually kind of looked like a big Christmas tree.

Random Instagram from Downingtown that I really like. I'm surprised this farmer didn't get rid of the dead stalks yet.

 This was the gutter damage on the house I mentioned earlier as the only structural damage I saw. The tree that had hit it is pictured below.

 

 The photo on the left here is an Instagram from the same neighborhood as the photos of the gutter above . The photo to the   right is some trimmings and loose branches that were put out for trash collection.

 This photo caused the next photo's road blockage (photo above would be to the right, the source of the tree limb). 

The blockage occurred on Taylor Road, about a mile from my house. It's a very narrow path through extremely tall trees, and I kind of assumed there was going to be something like this there.

Here is an Instagram showing the road blocked off from the tree shown above. I did obey the sign and turn around, but went another way onto the road where someone else had moved the road closed sign. Road closed? News to me. Just kidding, I realized it probably was dangerous because there were live wires hanging so I took some photos and ran out of there.

My neighborhood is where the houses you can see in the background are. This guy traveled a long way in Sandy's grasp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have an appointment in Wayne tomorrow, and will bring my camera along to see what Sandy did to that area. Also it's Halloween, so you never know what sorts of features may pop up. Goodbye for now, and stay safe in the aftermath of this storm.

#DashOfTheLivingDead in Downingtown

I am trying to get back into the habit of shooting regularly, and I have started to look for local events to shoot. Earlier last week, I found out about this event called the Dash of the Living Dead, which was a 5k where participants were encouraged to be made up/dressed up as zombies for a free Victory beer at the conclusion of the race. I was immediately intrigued. Some got really into it, others were just wearing normal running clothes. The route went through a park and the streets in the borough of Downingtown. They also have a pretty active facebook page here. It's definitely something I would shoot next year if I'm in the area around this time. A short while after the race was the Downingtown Halloween parade, which was short and sweet. Fun fact: my high school marching band was there, and the director is the same one I had when I was there. It's always funny to me to think that I was in the marching band for a year. It seems like it was so long ago. Enjoy these shots, and have a happy Halloween (and Frankenstorm)!

Someone handed this guy a beer as they cheered on the the rest of the runners at the final leg of the race. He had a few sips and sprinted to the finish line.

Patiently waiting

Nothing special, I just liked the lighting of this photo. This is one of our family cats Bailey sitting outside my bedroom.

Signs of fall

 

I haven't posted much in recent months, but it's hard to resist photographing the beauty of fall. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, simply for the decorations. Pumpkins, ghosts and skeletons pop out against the deep hues of the leaves both fallen and still on the trees. Zach and I went on a 6 mile walk recently through the Ebensburg Ghost Town Trail, which is something like 36 miles through his and surrounding counties. We went at just the right time. Fall was really showing off for us and my camera. Hopefully more to come soon.

  

 

We ended my visit with some pumpkin carving. Never the best looking but always fun. Zach might disagree.