After a couple of days of high winds and driving rain, I finally made it back out into the vineyard — and around the edges — for a walk on Wednesday morning. I wasn't willing to walk through or near stands of trees until the wind stopped blowing so hard.
Above you see why. A big tree fell across the path that Callie and I almost always walk on when we go out together in the morning. The dog and I both enjoy walking through the woods, and then along the path behind the big woodpile out there. But there are a lot of dead trees standing along the way. The one that fell was already dead, I'm sure.
Fact is, we mostly had a lot of branches down — big ones, in many cases. I don't want those to fall on me either. It was better just to stay out of harm's way. Besides, that driving, sideways rain...
On another path through some woods where Walt and Callie often walk, and where I walked Thursday afternoon, there were two or three trees down, blocking the path. Callie could slip under them, and I was able to climb, carefully, over them. We had wind and rain squalls again yesterday, but nothing like the ones we had last Monday and Tuesday. We are supposed to have strong winds again today [sigh].
I'm supposed to go to a meeting in Ste Maure today. I've already emailed them to say they won't see me if the forecast turns out to be correct (which I imagine it will). Orange weather alert and 105km/h winds predicted. Hasn't started yet though.
ReplyDeleteWe are getting gusty winds and sideways rain now. Will it ever end? This is March weather -- les giboulées — to the extreme.
ReplyDeleteJust maybe of interest to you, while of course our trees and branches come down in storms, we have our Eucalyptus, gum trees as you would know. Some species in the dryer areas are known by the name, widow makers. On the stillest of days, without any warning, a large branch will just snap and bad luck if you are underneath. The variety of ways in which we can kill foreign tourists is endless, including those desperate for some shade from the searing sun.
ReplyDeleteIt's like that in the States too, but big limbs and whole trees are more likely to fall when winds are strong or when there's a big snowfall. Around here, one of the biggest problems is all the dead trees left standing all around the vineyard. I remember that when we had the big storm of 2010, even after it was over and the winds stopped, we heard trees falling one by one in the woods around us for days.
DeleteWow, glad you folks make smart decisions in this frightening wind, Ken and Susan.
ReplyDeleteI remember back in the 70s and 80s in Paris, people would tell me they wondered where the snow and ice had gone. Weather used to be more extreme there in the 40s and 50s, apparently. And Catherine would say she couldn't get over how violent the weather in the States was, and how Americans had to worry about weather all the time. Now, for the past 15 years. the weather here has been very extreme. A change, or a cycle? I don't know.
Deletelovely walk for your dog
ReplyDelete