Nothing Like A Tornado To End The Day

Yesterday afternoon I had logged on to play World of Warcraft after spending the day sorting through my "stuff" to be sold at a future flea market date.  It was my afternoon relaxation time.  Kick back time.  Time to take out my frustrations on the electronically created images designed to make me happy.  I knew the weather was going to be crappy but was completely broadsided by the reality that was about to hit...literally.

As the storm kicked up I commented on it in guild chat.  I had just got done entering "Wow!  The sky is green and there's leaves everywhere!" when the trees(most of which are 30 feet tall and higher) folded over like dominoes falling.  The largest landed about 6 feet from my window.  I jumped up from my desk at that point, suddenly realizing that maybe having a front row seat wasn't such a great idea.  At that point one word came to mind; tornado! 

When I got down the stairs from my office area I turned and called for my cat who had also been watching from his window perch.  This was when the "wall" of dust and debris hit the windows but these aren't ordinary windows.  These are 10 foot tall picture windows.  My cat leaped off his perch and came running!  I doubt it was because I had called to him but I was able to grab him and get to the bathroom.  I could hear the wind coming through the ceiling vent.  When it calmed down about 5 minutes later, I picked up a very squirmy feline and went to assess what had occurred.  What I saw was not what I had expected.

This is the view from my office window February 2011.  You can see the small building in the background.

The new landscaping via the EF3 tornado that hit Springfield, MA.  You get to see a 50 foot tree rather than the small building.

Small building view earlier that morning before the Bobcat parked in front of the emergency door, but you can clearly see the building and the awning built out from it.

And no more view of the small building.  This tree landed about 6 feet away from my window and you can see light from where all I could see was trees before.

The view from my living room of the courtyard and the reproduction clock, looking toward the front parking lot.

Sorry for the blur, but you get the idea.  I've found only one of those lamp posts still standing as most of the trees gave way at the roots and toppled onto whatever was in the way.

You can just see the clock face over the pile of lumber that used to be 40 and 50 foot trees that obliterated almost all the sunlight from my apartment.

As I was taking pictures there were others doing the same.  I made the comment that this was "crazy" to a guy I had chatted with on occasion.  He said, "Crazy?  If you want to see crazy you should go look at the back parking lot!" which he then pointed in the direction where I park my van.

Sorry for the goofy spacing between the pictures.  I have no idea what I did nor how to fix it.  Part two in a moment...