The Damage to a Portion of the House From a Fallen 70 ft. Silver Maple Tree, 1000 Forest Avenue Thursday Morning During the Nor’easter.

A Photo of the Tree on the Freeman Homestead Taken from Shawn’s Cell Phone.

Today Lucas Tree Worked to Saw This Sugar Maple Tree from the Side of 1000 Forest Avenue.

“I’m grateful for my life – it was a narrow escape,” said Shawn Freeman, 40, as he and his mother, Donna, stood outside his home at 1000 Forest Avenue this afternoon, at the corner of Tremaine Street.

Thursday morning  at 4:30 am, Freeman and his dog, Beso, were sitting on the couch watching television.  “All of a sudden the house shook and the ceiling started to cave in.  He ran out of the house and saw that the back section of the house was covered with the tree that was at least 100 years old according to his mother, Donna.

He called the fire department and others as he stood outside his house for forty-five minutes in the rain wondering what happened to my house and thinking how grateful he was to be alive.  He handed his 75 lb. dog, Beso, out the window.  Meanwhile, CMP turned off the power to the house for safety reasons.

About fifteen homes in the area were affected by this power outage.  One of those affected was Chris Wheaton, also owner of North Optical, 93 Washington Avenue.  “We had no power for three days.  It wasn’t easy with a fifteen month old child,” he said this afternoon.  But the power is back on as of today.

But, the house that has been in the Freeman family for 60 years may not survive this incident Shawn said.  “It’s hard to know whether it can be saved right now.  There are cracks from front to back,” Shawn said this afternoon.  He will know more on Monday of next week.

Shawn had no problem responding to how he will dispose of this wood that currently sits in his front yard.  The soft spoken large man said he will make tables out of them for his new restaurant in Portland.  This chef is scheduled to open Quinn’s Bardega, at the Mellen Street Market, next month.  The grocery store is being configured to accommodate 25 diners at 79 Mellen Street. The opening date is November 22nd, his recently deceased father’s birthday.  Formerly, Shawn was with Tomaso’s Canteen, 18 Hampshire Street on the east end. Prior to that he was the Chef at Joe’s Boathouse, South Portland.  Shawn’s soups and stews are among his specialities as this blogger knows first-hand.

“I had a forever home – 60 years – that’s the part that sucks the most.  My entire heritage may be gone. I’m thinking about the community we will create that is keeping me positive,” Shawn said.

For more background information, please visit post herein dated November 25, 2015 herein.