In a two-hour cruise through many of the thoroughfares in Pawcatuck, Stonington and Mystic Sunday afternoon, inspiration was the order of the day.
Coming down Route 2 in Pawcatuck from the Elm Ridge area, the first source of inspiration was the couple of dozen of out-of-state power trucks parked in the Regal Cinemas parking lot. Second source? The half-dozen or so power trucks working on getting residents back in the Realm of the Warm. Several crews were up high in the bucket reconnecting transformers and heavy wires.
Skirting up Route 1, more power trucks. Down 1A to the borough, which is still thoroughly a winter wonderland with an inches-thick snow-pack for roads, you could close your eyes and imagine horses pulling a sleigh carrying — I don't know, maybe those overdressed people on Downton Abbey or something. At sunset, the Point was absolutely magical. A dozen or so kids were sledding on the Como soccer field hill, and there was no sign of the monster tree that had blocked North Main Street on Saturday.
Turning toward Mystic as the sun went down, I chased a rainbow cloud (darn trees kept getting in the way of the shot) and saw more power trucks on their way to help, as well as a huge gas tanker filling up the Mobil station near the Civil War monument.
Unfortunately, familial duties called and I was summoned home. But as of 2 a.m., the CL&P outage map showed only 176 customers without power — less than 2 percent. Kudos to CL&P and the out-of-state contractors (I saw trucks from Ohio and Michigan) who really stepped up over the weekend.
