Sunday, September 18, 2011

So, Why Does the Power Go Out?

We are lucky to live in an area with big, beautiful, mature trees -- many of them 75 to 100 years old.  Connecticut is more densely treed than any other state.  Many of the big trees look perfect on the outside but are shells on the inside. 

They are magnificent until a storm comes.  Then, they fall.  Like dominoes.  When lucky, they fall in the yard.  When not, they fall on houses, across the street, through passing cars, through utility poles and power lines.  Thousands of them, all over the state.  Our power goes out and we get mad at the power company because they can't flick a switch and put the power back on within a couple of hours.

24 comments:

Kate said...

Enjoyed reading the article. I think that I would fall into the camp of keeping the trees.

Unknown said...

Sad and scary but the composition is wonderful.

Luis Gomez said...

Great post Jack!!

PerthDailyPhoto said...

How amazing to think that those huge sturdy looking trees can be hollow on the inside, is that because they've been eaten away by some termitey sort of thing, or just age!! I can see your point Jack, a big wind comes along and you don't know what to expect!
Btw the next time you are in Perth haha! I will definitely take you for a ride around my local in a Bert and Ernie car, only if you promise not to grab things out the aisles as we go past!!

Valladolid Daily Photo said...

Sunday thought or just a complain.

Cezar and Léia said...

Looks dangerous to imagine a huge tree falling over the house!
By the way,the picture is awesome, great shot!
Léia

Malyss said...

Even big and tall , those poor trees are ill and weak.They are giants with clay feet, as we say here.In France there's an office who takes care of trees and watches them, so this does not happen so often and strongly as in Connecticut.

Randy said...

No flicking of the switch when these puppies fall on the wires. I never understood people when they get angry over something like that. Cut just right you could make a nice patio table out of this tree.

Dave-CostaRicaDailyPhoto.com said...

In new developments, and much of the Phoenix area was built in the last couple of decades, they have underground utilities and don't have to worry about trees falling on power lines. Of course in Arizona they do not have as many areas with tall trees, either.

VP said...

This is sad, but luckily this one missed the house...

Sharon said...

This tree is just amazing! I'm so glad you captured this for us to see. I feel bad that it had to fall.

Anonymous said...

Please can't we have it both ways?

Anonymous said...

We lost two large willows a few years back and the trunks were totally hollow. I guess eaten away by ants. The outer wall with bark that carried food and water to the limbs and leaves was only about an inch thick. The trunk diameter was 4 - 5 feet in diameter.

Regina K said...

First of all this is a beautiful photo. I love the fallen tree and the image.

Second I bet you have the same problem we have if you get ice storms. Bends all the branches and breaks the power lines. It is difficult to live without power.

joo said...

Great post, Jack!

Lowell said...

We have the same problem with our water oaks in Ocala. Wind and rain - boom! Down they go.

We also have a problem with our cable/dish company here in Stone Creek. Looks like rain? Uh uh! The TV just died! Happened again last night! Sheesh!

EG CameraGirl said...

Most of us don't like being inconvenienced...at all, I'm afraid. All over town we have Manitoba maples that are big and hollow. And they grow like weeds.

Sylvia K said...

We have so many trees here in the northwest as well and it can be a problem when we get the rare storms with strong winds! At least, living on the 5th floor I don't have much of a problem. Great post as always, Jack. Hope you've had a good weekend!

Sylvia

Dawn said...

Wow. That's quite a tree. It reminds me of a book I'm reading my boys, "My Side of the Mountain". A boy managed to hollow out a large tree and live in it. I was trying to imagine a tree that big- and here one is pictured on your post today;)
Glad it missed the house...then again- you could have lived in the tree;))

Michelle said...

I think we are all spoiled by the convenience of electricity. Beautiful shot of that tree. Hard to believe they can be hollow inside like that.

Stefan Jansson said...

There's been two power outs in the last week at my place. Both of them scheduled, although they forgot to tell me about it. This looks like something you wouldn't like to be hit in the head by.

Halcyon said...

I have never seen or heard of this problem before. I couldn't bear to part with all the trees though. :)

Cildemer said...

Very nice shot!
Reminds me of December 26th 1999 in the morning when a big fir tree fell on my daughte's car and ruined it, and the electricity was cut for 3 days!!!
And without electricity no water because the water came from a well;o)
Fortunately my hubby could find an electric generator;o)

Lois said...

We have the same situation here in Tallahassee. Everyone loves the trees and the city even has a "tree ordinance" making it illegal to cut them down. They are beautiful until we get a storm and then the city is almost strangled by the fallen trees. I have a water oak in my backyard that I know is hollow and needs to come down, but not on my house!