Praying to the tree gods

Hurricanes Earl, Fiona and Gaston 

OK, so I'm freaking out a bit. I'm scared shitless that Hurricane Earl is going to hit and wreak havoc at the camp. There are still a lot of trees there and one I'm particularly worried about. It's the tall, weathered tree behind the camper that I'm worried will come crashing though the roof.

Tree in question: skinny one, back left

It's a pretty innocent looking tree in this photo. But it's bigger in reality and I'm pretty sure it could do some damage if Earl pushed it the wrong direction. So I've been agonizing over whether or not to hire someone last minute to chop it down. I'm against chopping any remaining trees because they've become so precious, even when they have that east-coast-past-their-prime-weathered look. 

So Kharim has volunteered to use some rope to secure it against some other trees there. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that we get out there in time to do it and, in the chance that the winds hit hard, it keeps the tree off the camper.

What I don't want is a repeat of this:

Boathouse tree fell into driveway in 2009.

Property in 2009. Skinny tree, back left is pictured.

And the crazy thing is that six trees fell last year. Significant yes, but nothing compared to the 40-plus that we lost in Hurricane Juan. I have some some great photos of the aftermath but they're not digital. I'll try to get 'em scanned in.

So (at the risk of pissing off my friends in Yarmouth) I'm hoping Hurricane Earl stays south and continues up over the Bay of Fundy while dying off.

And while I love hurricane season for the warm ocean water and big waves, I tend to get nervous about this time of year. Fingers are crossed that Earl, Fiona and Gaston are kind.

Wish us luck.