Christopher Setterlund, In My Footsteps

Sunday, August 18, 2024

Initial Impressions 2.0 Blog: #30 - Deja Raccoon, Pet Pigs, Rib Guilt, etc.

1. Stop me if you’ve heard this one. I was going to empty the trash in the dumpster behind my work. I opened the right flap and lo and behold there’s a sleeping raccoon in the back left corner. It was like deja vu from a few weeks ago. I don’t speak raccoon so me explaining to this animal why it couldn’t live in the dumpster didn’t work. So I emptied the trash in the corner furthest away from it and also left the flap open in case it decided to leave. I likely ended up creating an easier entrance for the other raccoons to dumpster dive.

2. 8 years ago this week I ran 2 races on the same day. I ran a less serious inflatable obstacle course race in the morning at the Cape Cod Fairgrounds and actually won it. I went home and colored my dark Mohawk hair blond thanks to hydrogen peroxide. Then I tried to stay loose before going to partake in the Brewster Brew Run in the afternoon. I didn’t win that one but did manage to chug a beer afterward as a reward. Remembering that day it’s amazing where I was in my physical conditioning. It’s also a stark reminder of how far from that I am today. Maybe I’ll get back there, but if not it’s all good because at least I was there once.

Race 2 on the left, Race 1 on the right

3. In what was just another ordinary day in my life a patient where I work brought their pet pig into the office. His name is Wookie and he’s still a baby but oh man how cute. He oinks with excitement if you feed him Cheerios. I wanted my own pet pig until the patient said Wookie would end up weighing at least 150 lbs, then I thought of food bills and said I’ll take a goldfish instead.

4. I went for a run one day this week. I parked at the far end of a strip mall parking lot since it was very close to the neighboring bike trail. This meant I could walk to the trail, do my run, and then after walk to the grocery store without starting my car. I ended up doing over 5 miles, plus my shopping, for a total of about an hour and a half. All the while sitting a few spots down from my car was some woman in her running SUV. For 90 minutes. At least that was how long she was there by the time I’d left. Who knows, maybe she is still there at this very moment?

5. My Gold Star of the Week goes to Whole Foods in Hyannis for solving my ordeal with returning the camcorder I ordered from Amazon. During this week I learned that for some reason the UPS Store isn’t associated with UPS. How is that a thing? That’s what they claimed to me when I tried to return the camcorder there after UPS had missed me 3 times at home. UPS Store was useless, but thankfully it was relatively quick and painless to return the camcorder through a kiosk in the Whole Foods in Hyannis. I didn’t buy any groceries though, that place is still way too expensive.

6. This week in the Northeast we had a trifecta of amazing photography opportunities. I wish I had paid attention more as I only found this out the day after with a barrage of once-in-a-lifetime photos on social media. These photos featured the Milky Way, the Perseid meteor shower, and the Aurora Borealis. I’d kill for photos of any of those three but all of them? I was disappointed for a few minutes until I remembered that to have gotten those photos I’d have needed to be out at 2am. It made it a little easier to handle, but not much.

Look outside? Now why would I want to do that?

7. There is a house along one of my favorite running routes that always makes me smile. They are on the river which is nice. They have a big flag outside their front door and it is a photo of their Corgi dog. They also have a large garden running along the fence in their front yard. Every time I go by during the summer they have a table next to that fence with a pile of veggies fresh from their garden. Anyone can take them for free as there is a sign that says ‘happy to share the bounty.’ Just such a cool vibe.

8. The best purchase I have made this year is my Canva Pro subscription. It’s a design site for everything from editing photos to creating documents, videos, etc. The pro version gets you access to thousands of photos, videos, fonts, and more. Every time I make a video on Canva I save lots of money snagging the videos and photos I need. Definitely worth every cent of the $14.99/mo. I pay.

9. Maybe someone can help me. Why is it called the Registry of Motor Vehicles(RMV) in Massachusetts, but the Department of Motor Vehicles(DMV) in almost all other states? Did this state feel like a department wasn’t official enough so it needed a registry? I am also researching and just finding out there is a BMV? Bureau of Motor Vehicles, in Ohio and Indiana? And an MVD? Motor Vehicle Division, in Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, and Arizona? Now I need to lie down this is all too much.

10. One of my favorite foods is a good rack of ribs. I could eat them pretty much every day. There are a few problems with that though. One, they are not cheap, and two, they are not too healthy. So as much as I’d love to make ribs as common in my life as water they’re best left to every once in a while. That way I save money and don’t pack on pounds.

Saturday, August 17, 2024

Hurricanes Carol and Edna: New England's Twin Tempests of 1954

New England has had more than its fair share of powerful hurricanes cross its path over the centuries. From as far back as the Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635 to Hurricane Bob in 1991, these forces of nature have scarred and reshaped the region's landscape.

The only saving grace when it comes to such vicious tempests is the fact that they are few and far between. This gives the region ample time to restore and rebuild.

What if that wasn’t the case though? What if a powerful hurricane was nearly immediately followed by another? No, it is not a plot for a new disaster movie. It is something that actually happened in New England. 70 years ago those fears became reality.

This is the story of Hurricane Carol and Hurricane Edna, the twin tempests of 1954.

Busy Atlantic hurricane seasons are common. The years leading up to 1954 were no different. New England had seen a few major storms rampage across the region in the previous few decades.

The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 was a Category 3 that rumbled through the region in September 1938. It carried sustained winds as high as 121mph at Blue Hill in Massachusetts. Blue Hill also recorded the highest wind gust at a whopping 186mph.

The Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944 was weaker but still extremely dangerous as a strong Category 1 storm. It steamrolled over the east coast in September 1944.

Damage in West Yarmouth, MA after the 1944 hurricane(Public Domain).

After the 1944 storm, the Atlantic waters were relatively quiet. No hurricanes or even tropical storms made landfall in New England. There were still dangerous hurricanes that struck the United States in general. These included Hurricanes Easy(Category 3) and King(Category 4) which devastated Florida within 6 weeks of each other in 1950. There was also Hurricane Able(Category 2) which plowed into Georgia in 1952(and yes it is spelled Able, not Abel).

For the New England region though the decade of relative quiet was quite literally the calm before the storm.

A typical hurricane season runs from June through November with August through October being the peak for development. The Atlantic Hurricane season of 1954 began rather benignly with an unspectacular unnamed tropical storm forming in the last week of May. The first hurricane (Alice) was a Category 2 that struck Texas during the last week of June.

The fact that the first 3 tropical storms had passed only a few hundred miles off of the New England coast was an ominous sign for the second half of the season. The last week of August proved to be the start of something unprecedented.

Hurricane Carol: The First Blow

Hurricane Carol was the first major hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. It originated near the Bahamas on August 25, 1954, and was the third named storm of the season after Alice and Barbara.

Carol rapidly intensified as it moved northward becoming a hurricane on August 27^th.It eventually reached Category 3 status with winds exceeding 120 mph as it passed North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The storm ran parallel to the East Coast eventually making landfall first on Long Island and then in the area around Old Saybrook, Connecticut on August 31.

Beached boats after Carol in Marblehead, MA(Samuel Chamberlain)

The impact on New England was massive. This included wiping out nearly half of the apple, corn, peach, and tomato crops along the southern coast. The hurricane's powerful winds and heavy rainfall caused widespread devastation. More than 3,000 boats and 3,000 automobiles were destroyed in the storm with more than 150,000 people being left without power.

In total Carol claimed 65 lives and caused over $460 million in damage (about $5.4 billion in 2024). More than 150,000 homes and businesses were destroyed or severely damaged. The storm uprooted trees, downed power lines, and disrupted transportation networks. Coastal areas suffered severe erosion, and many boats and ships were damaged or sunk.

WBZ-TV tower in Brighton, MA crushing an automobile.(George Dixon)

Making landfall just after high tide Carol caused massive flooding. New Bedford, Massachusetts saw a storm surge of over 14 feet. The highest recorded wind gust was on Block Island off the coast of Rhode Island. There the wind reached 135mph. More than 20,000 people evacuated Cape Cod ahead of Carol. Even up into Canada’s Quebec province damage from Carol topped $1 million CAD($11.68 million US/$16.07 million CAD in 2024).

The Red Cross Civil Defense team was on hand immediately after gathering the data used above. It would take months, perhaps in some cases years, to fully recover from Hurricane Carol. Unfortunately, New England had less than two weeks of calm.

Hurricane Edna: The Second Strike

On September 2^nd, a mere 24 hours after the remnants of Hurricane Carol passed north into the Arctic Ocean, a new storm was forming. Hurricane Edna formed east of Barbados.

Carol had traveled parallel to the United States east coast, and Edna traveled parallel to Carol’s path just slightly more eastward. Edna rapidly gained strength, becoming a Category 3 hurricane with peak winds of 125 mph by September 8^th.

How would New England prepare for a second powerful hurricane in a matter of weeks? At first, there was thought they wouldn’t have to. Some forecasters in New England weather offices were putting out a theory as late as September 9^th that Hurricane Edna would drift in the Atlantic before ultimately fizzling out. The hundreds of thousands of New Englanders still cleaning up Carol’s mess, some still without power, hoped that to be the case. Sadly, it was not.

Boston Globe, September 11, 1954

When it slammed into New England in the morning on September 11, 1954, Hurricane Edna compounded the devastation left by Carol, affecting much of the same areas still recovering.

The eye of the storm passed near Martha’s Vineyard bringing a brief eerie calm to Cape Cod. When it ramped back up Edna ended up being strong, but not as strong as Carol. A small bit of luck had Edna not making landfall at the time of high tide, sparing some weary coastal areas from a true double-dip of damage.

Though slightly less catastrophic Edna still packed a punch. Edna brought torrential rain, leading to severe flooding in many areas. Rivers and streams overflowed, inundating homes and businesses. The top wind gust of 120mph occurred on Martha’s Vineyard close to the eye of the storm. Many homes, businesses, and boats damaged by Carol were finished off by Edna.

Edna resulted in 20 fatalities and caused an estimated $42 million in damage (about $419 million in 2024). While the storm's damage was less severe than Carol’s, it added to the cumulative impact on New England’s infrastructure and economy. Though not as severe as Carol in Southern New England, Edna would end up being the costliest hurricane in the history of Maine. President Dwight Eisenhower called parts of the state a ‘disaster area.’

The Red Cross returned to the area while thousands of telephone and electrical workers poured into the affected towns to get amenities back up and running. According to New England Telephone & Telegraph, more than 260,000 homes were left without telephone service after Edna. This was actually 10,000 more homes than Hurricane Carol.

The back-to-back hurricanes of 1954 left a profound mark on New England. Carol and Edna caused extensive damage to the fishing industry, with numerous boats destroyed and fishing infrastructure damaged. The tourism sector also suffered. Summer ostensibly came to an end with the approach of Carol as people fled. Any hope of a return of summer after was dashed with many summer homes and tourist facilities being damaged or destroyed.

The combined storm surges and heavy rainfall led to severe beach erosion and changes in coastal landscapes. Carol and Edna highlighted the need for better disaster preparedness and response mechanisms. Communities in New England, including those on Cape Cod where 95% had been without power during Edna, invested in improved infrastructure. This included stronger seawalls and better drainage systems, to mitigate the impact of future storms.

The names of both storms, Carol and Edna, were retired from tropical naming. A bit of good that came from the 1954 storms was the United States government devoting research to start the National Hurricane Research Project. This later became known as the National Hurricane Research Laboratory and is a permanent institution within the Weather Bureau.

In the 70 years since the double header of Hurricanes Carol and Edna things have been relatively quiet on the storm front in New England.

Hurricane Donna in 1960 was a strong Category 1 when it made landfall in Connecticut, even reaching a peak wind gust of 140mph at the Blue Hill Observatory.

Hurricane Gloria in 1985 was also a Category 1 storm when it hit New England. Rehoboth, Massachusetts reported a tornado and a wind gust of 120mph.

Hurricane Bob in 1991 was a Category 2 when it made landfall in Rhode Island. This storm has been the closest in terms of strength in New England since Hurricane Carol.

Hurricane Bob's track in 1991(NWS Boston)

Besides an array of near-misses and weaker tropical disturbances, it has been few and far between when it comes to hurricanes in New England. This fact only amplifies how unique and deadly the twin storms of 1954 were. Lives were lost, property was destroyed, and parts of the environment were permanently changed.

Thankfully events like major hurricanes striking so closely after one another are a part of the ‘once every hundred years’ occurrences. Though as it has been 70 years since Carol and Edna the ‘hundred years’ continues to draw closer.

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

In My Footsteps Podcast Episode 157: Getting Paid to Stay Home For 9 Months; 1990s Brief Return of Swing Music; Top Ranked 1980s Movies; Far Side Comics(8-14-2024)

Getting paid full-time to sit at home for 9 months. The brief resurgence of Swing music in the 1990s. The top-ranked 80s movies as chosen by the people.
Episode 157 of the podcast ranges from the unbelievable but true, to the meta nostalgia of nostalgia itself.
It kicks off with Restaurant Storytime 9. In this installment, I tell the tale of being paid full-time to sit at home and not work for 9 months. This was all thanks to one man, Jack Connors. If you don't know who he is don't worry you will get an education here.
Nostalgia is a powerful drug. That which was popular oftentimes comes back around decades later. Such was the case with Swing music. A staple of the American youth in the 1930s and 1940s it faded away with the emergence of Rock & Roll. However, by the 1990s, the country was ready for Swing music Round 2, and we'll go way Back In the Day to look at that brief Swing revival.
The 1980s had more than its fair share of legendary movies. This week the Top 5 is actually a Top 10 as we look, in order, at the top-ranked movies of the decade using a poll on IMDb.com.
As always there is a brand new This Week In History and Time Capsule centered around the birth of Gary Larson the creator of the iconic Far Side comics.
For more great content become a subscriber on Patreon!

Helpful Links from this Episode

Listen to Episode 156 here

Monday, August 12, 2024

Initial Impressions 2.0 Blog: #29: Running or Robbery?, Camcorder Fails, Stuffing Dreams, etc.

1. I saw a woman running one afternoon this week. She was definitely a unique runner. She was dressed appropriately, with a t-shirt, shorts, and even some K-tape around her right knee. Okay so far. Then I noticed she was wearing a neck brace, and also carrying a brown paper bag in her right arm. Was she running? Or running away from a place that she just robbed?

2. Is it just me, or is the process of streaming starting to look an awful lot like cable television? With cable, you’ve got certain shows and movies on certain networks. On streaming it is getting more like that. This means that just like you do with cable you need more channels/platforms to see all you want to see. It’s like entertainment companies found another way to keep the ‘cord cutters’ paying through the nose.

3. There are numerous times I feel like I made a wish to be a writer on a Monkey’s Paw. In short, a Monkey's Paw refers to making a wish where it comes true but with some unforeseen circumstances. For me, my portfolio as a writer on its own is pretty good. Pretty good meaning I accomplish just enough to keep me chasing this dream, but not enough for me to fulfill the dream. Not saying I’m thinking of giving up, more that I am aware of the chase I’ve been on oh these last many years.

Me, wishing to be a successful writer/content creator.

4. I’ve been brainstorming the idea of turning this blog into a shorter video podcast. I finally broke down and bought a vlogging camcorder. I figured that would be a good place to start. The problem? Nearly all of these vlogging camcorders look identical yet have different accessories. I ended up ordering one I thought was close enough to what I wanted. However either I clicked on the wrong product or Amazon just said ‘They all look the same he won’t know,’ and sent me a different one. It didn’t have a microphone or battery charger. Plus when I checked my order this particular camera had a 2-star average review, the one I wanted was a 4.6 average. It has already been sent back.

5. I notice that every time I type in ‘food coma’ into my phone it wants to correct to ‘good coma.’ I guess if there is a such thing as a good coma it would be one caused by eating too much delicious food.

Food coma, good coma, it's all the same.

6. Waiting on UPS to pick up a package to return is very similar to the old days of waiting for the cable guy to show up. ‘Oh sure we’ll be there today between 7a and 5p better make sure you clear your schedule because we’ll knock quietly once and then run back to the truck.’ I was afraid to even go downstairs to check the laundry for too long just in case those 30 seconds were when the driver pulled up.

7. At the grocery store I was walking down an aisle and there were 3 teenage boys buying soda. One of them turned to me and told me how much he liked my shirt. I was wearing a plain black t-shirt so I thought he was being a smart ass which was fine I was a kid once too. Only when I passed by them again did I see he was also wearing a plain black T-shirt. There was no big ‘bro out’ but I did give him a nod of approval which is just as good.

8. Sad that this had to be said but to those who work in ICU at the hospital try to be nice to the people coming to visit their sick/injured loved ones. I get that it must be a tough job but nobody goes to ICU for a fun day. Yelling at me and my cousin while we chatted briefly in the entranceway was not called for. She and I were comparing notes about her very sick father (my uncle) and were essentially trading shifts of sitting with him. I wanted badly to say something to this rude woman but it wouldn’t have helped anything so I just left without saying anything.

9. I have to ask why do they not make Stove Top stuffing microwave cups? Rice A Roni has them, and Velveeta Shells and Cheese has them. It makes sense to do Stove Top next. Granted it’s not hard to make stuffing by just heating water but that’s beside the point. Also, I think if they did come out with a microwave Stove Top I’d balloon out like a whale with cups of stuffing, rice, and mac and cheese surrounding my easy chair.

10. I have been practicing French using Duolingo for probably a little over 2 months. I took French for 4 years in school and wondered how much of the language might come back. I can say honestly that reading, repeating, and writing French has all come back to where I feel pretty smart. However, actually speaking it is different. Not like I have any reason to speak French in my daily life but when I’m out I try to imagine conversations in my head and it’s tough. Does anyone out there who speaks, or is trying to learn, a second language have the same issue?

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

In My Footsteps Podcast Episode 156: Woodstock '94, Weirdest Atari Games Ever, the Original Reality TV Show, End of the DuMont Network(8-7-2024)

A sequel to a beloved music festival. The OG of reality TV shows. Some of the weirdest video games Atari could create.
Episode 156 of the podcast will combine the warm and fuzzy with the confusing as we travel through the halls of nostalgia.
It kicks off with a trip back 30 years. The original Woodstock was a seminal moment of the 20th century. The artists who played it became legends and those in attendance will never forget it. Naturally, a sequel was in order, and that came in 1994. How did this spiritual successor to the original do?
Reality television like it or not has been a staple of network programming for over 30 years. Some shows have become iconic while many others were quickly thrown in the trash. There had to be an original though. This week we go way Back In the Day and look at that OG of reality TV, Candid Camera.
In a brand new Top 5 we will delve into the weird as we look at some of the weirdest video games Atari ever created. Not saying these games are necessarily bad, just that the premise behind them makes you wonder what substances the creators might have been on.
A new This Week In History and Time Capsule will showcase the downfall of one of the first television networks, the DuMont Network.
For more great content become a subscriber on Patreon!

Helpful Links from this Episode

Listen to Episode 155 here

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