On the day before Irene made her way up the East Coast, I was in the Hawkins Boatyard watching lobster men (and their wives, kids and dogs) haul boats out of the harbor. I had nothing to do but wander around with an old camera. And, hear tales of the worst ferry crossings the good people of Vinalhaven could recollect.
The calm before the storm was beautiful, uncomfortably still, and unnerving. The fog thickened by the minute, and I was making mental preparation for a rough ride on a small ferry with everything I hold dear the next morning.
As luck would have it, our crossing was calm. The storm bypassed this little harbor in Maine, and the hardest hit were our own beautiful Catskill Mountains. We've pumped out the basement and donated clothes to our neighbors across the Hudson River. And, we've marveled at the damage water can do.
