Your editor finds himself, along with wife and dog, camping out in our house in Connecticut. We are among the few millions in the northeast without power. As I write this, only 8 percent of the houses in our town, Avon, have electricity. We have seen long lines at the few open gas stations and coffee shops with wi-fi and power outlets to charge mobile phones. We spent a couple of hours today at a "warming center" and shelter set up at the local high school. We charged our phones and laptops and asked if we could help with cooking since we have natural gas outdoor grill and stove at home.
One couple offered $1,000 worth of frozen meat that was going to be lost to defrosting; we offered to cook and serve it, but officials said they could not permit (regulations, you know). If some of the 100 or so patrons of the shelter, subsisting on a diet mainly of muffins and coffee, only knew they missed out on steaks, roasts and a few lobster tails. It turned out that, toward the end of the day, another shelter was able to accept the gift. We hope to have power in the next couple of days. If ever there was motivation to head south to a warm and welcoming golf community, this storm is it.