Slightly Off the Mark

 So ... tornadoes.

I don't need to say "possible" tornadoes, because several people got videos and photos of the funnels and their damage. I headed up to dispatch, and so the photos I'm showing were taken from the dispatch window a short time after the fact.

It got pretty funky for awhile, but by the time I got to work the twisters were just crossing into LaGrange County, heading northeast. (If you're not from Indiana, LaGrange County is directly north of us in Noble County, and borders the Michigan state line.) We got a fair amount of rain, which is good for our drought, but I never noticed any thunder from here. I believe the closest the confirmed funnels got to us was five or six miles, and heading away.

And this is looking pretty much straight east. The lighted rectangle is ... well, a rectangular light, behind me.

This is looking toward the east also, as the storms moved away from us. Those clouds are close to, or over, Ohio, which I believe also had a tornado warning. We were paying more attention at the time to the tornado cutting a swath through LaGrange County. There wasn't much warning, because the storm basically formed and dropped its funnels right over us. The damage was largely in the Ligonier area, northwest of Albion. It could have been worse: Many funnels that didn't reach the ground were also spotted.

 It's a little hard to see, but that's a large flock of birds that took off shortly after the storm passed. Maybe headed south, or maybe "anywhere but here".

And a final photo of the courthouse as the clouds clear, with the birds above. I've noticed that building has "moods" based on the lighting conditions, and this time around it was kind of spooky.

From what I'm hearing at this point it sounds like two tornadoes actually touched down, one in Noble County and one that caused damage all the way through LaGrange County. In Noble County some buildings were damaged, including a residence that lost its roof. The Ligonier area lost power, and we had to call out firefighters and the Noble County Highway Department to clear trees from roadways. Stop lights were out, power lines down--the usual.

For awhile we had six dispatchers in here, where normally we'd have two or three. All the emergency services were pretty busy, as you might imagine, and we stayed busy for awhile. Still, we had no reported injuries here in Noble, so there's that--but two people were injured in LaGrange County when the Amish buggy they were in was hit. (No, I haven't heard anything about the horse's condition.)

We and our books can be found ... everywhere:

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Remember: If you have enough books, they can cushion you from strong winds.

 I don't eat a lot of scones. But when a new coffee shop here in Albion came out with something called a bacon cheddar scone ... well, there are always exceptions.

The Fox Den. There's a great view from there, which you can see reflected in the window.

The Fox Den is in the old Black Building (which is green), at the main intersection in Albion. (The building gets a mention in our books Images of America: Albion and Noble County and Smoky Days and Sleepless Nights.) It used to be the Noble Art Gallery, which I was disappointed to see go because I hate to see any Albion business go, and also because they were one of the few brick and mortar places where you could find my books for sale. Also, the art was cool. And they had scrapbooks of old Albion newspapers that were fascinating to poke through.

I was really disappointed.

But on the other hand, no one in that storefront has, to my knowledge, offered bacon cheddar anything, at least since John and Mid's Restaurant was there forty or so years ago.

There is still art there: Here's a fox! In the den.

I know what you're thinking: So, how was the scone? Fair question. But before I forget, Emily and I did encounter something there I found exciting.

That's right: books! Hey, we all get excitement our own way. Sadly, none of them were my books, but don't you need something to read, for long mornings (or afternoons) sitting and sipping? Not sipping scones, that would be silly, but coffee shops quite often serve beverages.

Oh, and more food than just scones, too. It's worth checking out if you happen to be near Albion, or going through Albion, or anchoring your hot air balloon on the courthouse.

See, it's a fox! Relaxing in its den. With scones.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot: The bacon cheddar scones are spectacular, and by that I mean really good. We got ours to go, which isn't the preferred way to do it, but hopefully we'll get a chance to hibernate up there a little longer, next time.

My wife says I take too many photos of the Noble County Courthouse in Albion, and she's absolutely right. But you see, I fuel up the car right across the street, and it's just ... sitting there ... looking all photogenic and everything, if a little lopsided from this angle ...

Even from the same angle, the weather and lighting can make the view very different.

It’s the last book signing of the year! And a cover reveal! And the day before the snowstorm, so don’t you want to get out for awhile?

Okay, with only a few weeks left in the year that first part’s not so remarkable—but still. Hope to see you all between 1-5 p.m. today at the Noble Art Gallery in downtown Albion—and while you’re there, head across to the courthouse square and get some oranges and grapefruit from the Lions Club. Pick me up a mix box, would you?

Remember, every time you miss an author appearance a snowman melts. Save Frosty.