We were preparing for dinner as usual when the power went out. "No biggie" we thought since the lights had been flickering on and off for about an hour, as the tree branches rubbed up against the power lines. A few minutes later, Donna announced that the backyard was on fire! Our worst fear was apparent on both our faces: a power line had fallen and ignited our gas grill.
From the kitchen, it looked as if the entire yard was ablaze, mostly because the wind was whipping the flames and smoke into a huge spectacle. Indeed, our neighbors thought our entire house was on fire and they came over to get us out. On closer inspection, however, the fire was limited to a single high tension wire jiggling about on the lawn, about 8 feet away from the grill and the back of the house. Some of the neighbors helped move the grill as Bob stood-by with a fire extinguisher to protect the house while trying several times to call the fire department. It's tough to call for help with no land line or cell phone service! Eventually the wind took down the transformer located several houses over, and the fire burned itself out.
Tuesday was your run-of-the-mill day without power. Nothing for the kids to do except get on one another's (and dad's) nerves. Cooking was done with the grill and a small camp stove. First batch of food in the 'fridge discarded.
The kids woke up Wednesday knowing the significance of the date. We spent the day at a park, to get out of the house and warm up. We got home around 4:30pm, donned costumes and hit the streets.
Sammy befriended a girl from down the street.
A little blurry because the lighting was dim.
Robert, I mean The Hulk, working it.
A pretty good sized crowd considering much of the neighborhood had evacuated.
Halloween turned out the be the best part of the week. For an hour, all the storm-related worry disappeared. It was about kids having fun.
