829 Southdrive

829 Southdrive

A New Jersey state of mind



Friday, August 10, 2012

A Little Too Close to Home




Lightning struck last night.  This summer we've had several 
violent storms come through New Jersey, along with severely
hot temperatures and drought-like conditions.  I woke up this 
morning and wondered why my backyard neighbors were
peeling the bark from their oak tree.  It wasn't their doing. 






Neither Betty nor Bill had ever seen something like this before.
They planted this pin oak as a seedling roughly forty years earlier.
None of us predict this tree surviving after a jolt like it received.






It done blew the feathers off of a blue jay.  Note the condition
of our backyard 'lawn'.






We do have lightning rods on our house, but I'd rather not test
them if we don't have to.  There is a chimney in there somewhere.

8 comments:

  1. wow, that is pretty impressive. I don't think I realized that is the end result of a lightning strike.

    last weekend, I was at my in-laws during a strong line of thunderstorms that rolled across northern Indiana and lower Michigan. the weather reports (that interrupted us watching the Olympics every 5 minutes) reported that there were 3,500+ lightning strikes over a 10 minute period.

    I didn't realize people still used lightning rods on houses anymore.

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  2. Whose chimney? I have been to the Baydog estate and I do not remember you having a 10' chimney, so what about the chimney?

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    Replies
    1. Too much wine and dark n'stormies. And it's about 28'(an E-scow standing upright, I figure).

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  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Spanked by the principal, er, administrator?

      Delete
  4. Why weren't you out flying a kite? Maybe you could power your house with lightening...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Speaking of Laser Sailing...some Olympic coverage for you.

    http://dailycaller.com/2012/08/08/irishman-gives-expert-olympic-sailing-commentary-video/

    ReplyDelete