new equation

I got a lot of phone calls yesterday from friends and family from across the country. They had seen the news and wanted to check in on my family and my home. When my wife was pregnant with Finn last year, we moved out of Cabbagetown over to Grant Park. We're less than a mile now from our old house, and although our electricity flickered on and off Friday night just after 9:30, I had no idea our old neighborhood was being hit by a tornado. This morning I walked around my old street and made some pictures.

Our old house lost a few shingles and the fence suffered some damage, but she stands relatively unscathed when compared to others in the neighborhood.

This house is directly across the street. When we were living here, this house was extensively renovated. The houses can be rebuilt, but the loss of so many stately, old trees will change the feel of the neighborhood forever.

This is two doors up from our old house.

After surveying my old street, I traveled across Boulevard to the Oakland Cemetery. These permanent residents of Atlanta haven't received much attention from the media. So many headstones are broken and more than a dozen old trees are uprooted. The view of Cabbagetown from near Potter's Field displays a patchwork of blue tarps.

I assume many of these headstones will never be upright again.

Many trees that were not uprooted lost limbs.

I'm pretty fond of this cemetery. It's a quiet and often overlooked spot. I've been walking or biking through it since I moved back to Atlanta nearly ten years ago. I have favorite markers that I went around checking on. This one didn't fare so well.

The trees and headstones that are upturned lay down to the east.

These two have been together a long time.

This guy is split at the trunk and splays over the retaining wall at the intersection of Boulevard and Memorial.

A huge tree came to rest on this small building near the Confederate markers.

I wasn't sure what this was when I first came upon it. I thought it was some kind of wreath wrapped around this headstone. It's a set of mini-blinds.

Somehow, these headstones avoided damage.

These guys weathered the storm well.

The mausoleums all seemed undamaged.

Little Louise and Little Hugh are my favorite markers in the cemetery. I was pleased to discover them unharmed.