lollardfish

So there we were, driving back from Gigi's Playhouse, a pretty terrific place, and the rain started a little. As we approached the ramp to the highway, however, suddenly the wind started to pick up. I looked up at a big glass office tower, and could see the wind moving in big gusts, sideways, fast. The car shook. The air suddenly filled with leaves and twigs. I said, "Maybe we should ride this out." Shannon said, "We could wait in a store or something?" I said, "Let's go shopping!" Shannon, "Words I never thought I'd hear you utter."

We actually went into a big parking garage that seemed stable and basement-like. We pulled out our cellphones to check the weather, and discovered that in fact a tornado was heading down the Eisenhower Expressway to intersect with 294 - highways we would have been at in about 20 minutes - before heading into Oak Park and the vicinity. Afterwards, it'd move on to Indiana. So we waited for 45 minutes in the garage, then had a snack (Shannon was starving and traffic was at a standstill, and got home around 5:30. Thirty minutes later, a severe thunderstorm rolled through and pummelled more of the region. There are lots of people without power, and we are thankful not to be among them. Our cable is out - so no internets at home, but through the good graces of the coffee shop, we're online.

No damage to our building or our things, but the same can't be said for others.