Irene Report

And Other Assorted Stuff

On Saturday the sun shining through the trees created a cathedral of light along the woodland way into downtown Northampton.



But after hurricane Irene passed through on Sunday, the woodland way was blocked in several places by fallen trees.



Personally, I do not think that Irene lived up to Hurricane Gloria back in the mid-1980's. I remember being out in my backyard during the period of time when the eye of the hurricane passed over Springfield, and the sky was as strange and beautiful as I've ever seen it, with odd colors and spectacular cloud formations. I saw no such wonders of nature displayed by Irene. However, maybe I was just in the wrong location, as Irene made much more of an impact in other parts of our Valley, as seen in this Craig Gagne photo taken in Deerfield near Richardson's Candy Shoppe.



Some critics have complained that the media overhyped Irene, but in any case, it's over.



Earlier in the week people were arriving at the Amherst Survival Center by all means of transportation.



The media was there too, like Hampshire Gazette reporter Nick Grabbe.



And veteran photographer Gordon Daniels of the Amherst Bulletin.



Soon U.S. Congressman John Olver arrived on the scene.



He was immediately given an apron and put to work.



I guess this is what you would literally call "serving your constituents."



I was surprised to see this big line stretching down the street to see Alice Cooper in Northampton.



There has always been something kinda corny about Alice Cooper and his horror show schtick. Yet at the same time his music is rockin good fun and the special effects I'm told are impressive. Plus to people of a certain age he's a big nostalgia trip that still generates a substantial cash flow. This limousine bus parked at the Hotel Northampton was definitely Alice's.



Only in Northampton do signs end up like this. Who knows what they originally said?



Sean is a hip Hamp biker.




A rare recent interview with David Starr of the Springfield Newspapers. Extremely controversial in earlier years, Starr has faded from the scene somewhat, although he maintains his position as President of the Springfield Newspapers. This interview is about what you'd expect - lots of civic cheerleading, quoting Karl Marx, and dripping with unintended irony.

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