Share Your Photos of Tropical Storm Irene!

As Florida braces for Tropical Storm Isaac, it brings back memories of this time last year, when we all hunkered down to watch and wait as Tropical Storm Irene approached. 

Irene may not have been a hurricane but she did plenty of damage in Connecticut and left many of us without power, and some without water, for days if not weeks. 

After the storm passed, normal life ground to a halt. People were showering under the garden hose, summer vacation was extended as schools stayed closed, and the lines for coffee at Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks in East Lyme were extraordinarily long. 

East Lyme Community Center served as a base for the American Red Cross and became a mecca for people from far and wide. Many people said they just drove until they found a town where the lights were on, desperately hoping they wouldn't run out of gas along the way.

The storm brought people together too. Those who had electricity and hot water opened their doors and offered their electrical outlets to friends and acquaintances who didn't. With food defrosting in the freezer, neighbors got together for backyard barbeques and feasted on steak and swordfish that would otherwise have gone to waste. 

Without power or cell service, we were forced to unplug and find other ways to entertain ourselves. And as I recall, that really wasn't such a bad thing. 

Those are some of my memories of Irene. What are yours?