Irene Casualty

For many of the twenty years that we have lived here on Broad Creek we have watched various birds come and go - building nests and raising their young.  One of our favorites has been the woodpecker.  We would hear him pecking in several different trees around the yard, and then watch him (or her) hop in and out of a hole high in one of the locust trees.

This past weekend hurricane Irene swept through our area.  Remembering past storms - particularly Isabelle eight years ago - we decided to evacuate to higher ground.  After 'battening down' whatever hatches we could, we left.  We returned home Sunday afternoon to find - amazingly... no flooding!  However, there were limbs down everywhere.  And, there in the garden, was the top of the woodpecker locust tree.

We could now see up close what we had looked at for so many years.  George got out his chain saw and cut up the rest of the tree top, but neither of us could imagine cutting up this piece.  Don't know yet just what we will do with it, but we'll keep it around for awhile.