Ross, Rachel, Helen, and Arthur

There was a big storm here right after we got back from Puerto Rico. Helen and I were eating lunch in front of the television when I heard a crack. I looked outside just as a major branch cracked away and fell. It was at this time that much of the electrical appliances in the house blinked off. As the branch came down its tip brushed against the power line enough to cause one of the strands to pop off at the utility pole (the power cable is a braided affair), but not the others, and thankfully there wasn't a downed cable in our backyard. Since there was still a strand or two connected, we still had some power in some parts of the house, but not others. Fortunately, our fridge and our DSL router stayed up, as it took about two days for PG&E to come out and hook us back up. Here's Helen playing on her impromptu and temporary jungle-gym.