The crew showed up on time to remove my 125' tulip poplar (we measured
it once it had fallen), and I was mightily impressed by the technology.

The treecutter and his crew had a substantial bucket truck. The main man
went up in the bucket about 30' off the ground and tied a 1-1/2" braided
line around the tree. The other end was attached to the back end of a
Ford F350 HD diesel. The treecutter marked a precise spot where he
wanted the tree to fall, and damned if it didn't. Shook the ground
mightily.

In addition to a wonderful diesel powered chipper which took in gigantic
limbs and turned them into mulch, the team also had a diesel-powered,
RC-controlled stump grinder. It was like the neatest RC toy but
supersized, and just the thing you'd need for one of those TV robot war
shows.

The lightning did us some damage:

Line from cable company box to house - fried. On dial-up now.

One battery phone - dead.

Light circuit in house "jarred" by thunder of close hit, created short,
took electrician two hours to isolate and repair.

One desktop computer damaged, to which degree I do not know yet.

Pets still hiding under beds, paws over eyes and ears.

Great weekend, eh?