If you live anywhere near the east coast of the US you probably heard about the ice storm that knocked over 320,000 people off the electric grid. I was unfortunate enough to be just another number facing the wrath of mother nature. We lost power for a total of 45 hours, yet I feel lucky compared to many that are still in the cold tonight.

Not having power puts a lot of stuff into perspective. Simple things we all take for granted are suddenly torn from our lives such as heat, running water, etc. It’s not easy for families with children and pets to care for.

Once the freezing rain tapered off I took a walk outdoors to snap some pictures of the frozen landscape. What I experienced was so much more than I could have ever predicted. Every 2 or 3 seconds the sounds of splitting trees and snapping branches would echo in the distance, or sometimes much closer.. Large trees were bent like rubber from the weight of the ice, the ones that could not bend were snapped and splintered. The roads were absolutely covered with debris and electrical wires. From my own home there was no escape using even the smallest of cars.

Here are just a few of the pictures I was able to capture from the morning after the storm.

However, among all the destruction was the natural beauty of mother nature.

My heart goes out to those that still are among the 180,000 without power…

I try not to stray too much from the snowboarding and skateboarding subjects here on BND, so I want to invite everyone to come visit my personal “everything” blog Samurart.

Like BND, it sat unused for a few months, but now that I’m back in the swing of things I hope to keep it updated more and post some of the other things, besides boarding and skating, that interest me.

Dan

Awhile ago, when I had more free time to kill, I had done a few snowboard designs in Illustrator. I have them linked on my old Samurart blog, but I wanted to give them a new home where they felt more welcome. Click on one below for a larger image.

When and if I design a few more ill post them as well.

It’s almost December here and still none of that crazy stuff called snow… Not only that, but its cold as a penguins nipples! Everytime some moisture decides to roll on in, it warms up and rains.. Arg!

This concludes our daily rant.

Boards and Decks was founded in 2008 by two friends from New Hampshire, Dan Mensinger and Shane Rule. We are huge fans of snowboarding and skateboarding, and when we are not busy with family and websites you can bet we are out there practicing. Boards and Decks goal is to become a destination site for fans of boarding and skating where we can all come together for information and enjoyment.

We have huge plans for the future, but as of now were are still very much in development. If you are interested in contributing content to the website please Contact Us.