(This posting was originally published on the IHM School Site.)
In the early morning of December 12, 2008, southwestern New Hampshire and a large section of Massachusetts lost power due to a devastating ice storm. The tops of trees snapped off, branches broke, entire trees were uprooted (one narrowly missing two of the Brothers). We (the religious at Saint Benedict Center) are still without power [update: we got it back at noon on Sunday, December 21], although we have regained most of our appliance use due to the generous loan of a large generator. IHM School was in session Monday morning, but there were too many surrounding pressures (and no lights!), so school is closed until further notice. Today we are in the middle of a snow storm that has turned to sleet.
I thought that you would like to see some pictures I took this weekend. In spite of the devastation, the ice is so very beautiful! (I wasn’t allowed to get pictures of the worst damage because it was too dangerous to go under the trees.)
Sister Maria Perpetua and Sister Marie Therese admire the sun shining through the ice (note the trees over the fire pond in the background).
Those white tips aren’t pine cones! They are the bare wood where the tops snapped off.
Branches are stripped off by the weight of the ice
A huge pine bough lands in our driveway
Our Lady’s shrine
Even the grass is iced!
War Zone! That pine on the ground was completely uprooted.
crystal fountain
Sunrise on Gaudete Sunday (this picture was taken by Sister Maria Perpetua)
By moonlight
