As with most storms that hit land and do considerable damage, all kind of stories and photos came out of Hurricane Sandy (though it had been downgraded from a hurricane by the time it came ashore, but never mind that).

Like most people, I read the stories, watched the TV news coverage, looked up pictures online and basically was thankful that all we got around here was the tail end of the winds. Yeah, they were cold winds, but it could have been so much worse.

I saw the 74 story high crane that was knocked over and the house where the water was at the midway point of a window. I saw cars disappear into rushing water and TV reporters who never seem to learn standing right at the edge of the ocean as the waves crashed into the shore.

But my "hold on a minute" instincts kicked in when I saw the pictures of sharks swimming down a "Jersey street," in someone's front yard and through a New York Subway platform.

Now, I know that sharks have been found in rivers and lakes and probably ponds, for all I know, due to storms that throw huge amounts of ocean water onto land and sometimes there are fish, including sharks, in that water.

That's not what made me lean back and cast a jaundiced eye at the computer screen. No, it was the crispness and almost professionalism of these photos that made me want to cry foul. This wasn't somebody saying, "Oh my God, look at that!" as they took a shaky picture with their cell phone.

It wasn't just a black, blurry mass in the water that somebody was trying to convince the viewer was a shark. These pictures, and the sharks, were so sharp and crisp, you could almost smell the seawater. Also, one of them appeared to be taken from the front seat of a car, even though it looked like the shark was swimming in five feet of water.

Be honest. Would you still be in your car if the water was five feet and rising? And there were sharks floating around? Even if you were, would you be so calm that the picture came out looking like something in a coffee table book?

But they could be real. With cell phones having cameras that can take pro style pictures with a tap on the screen, anything is possible. I guess we'll find out sooner or later.

Sandy is the latest in a string of "storms of the century," or lifetime if you prefer. For the most part, we're spared these storms because we're just far enough inland, but occasionally we do get a whopper.

Believe it or not, next March will mark 20 years since the blizzard of 1993. For those of who were old enough to live through it and remember, it doesn't seem possible it's been that long. I wonder if anyone's ever done a story to see how many kids came into the world nine months later?

Anyway, it probably doesn't seem that long because every March, when the first breath of warm weather hits, somebody will say, "Don't get too comfortable! Remember the blizzard of '93!"

I always like to point out that this was the only time in history something like that happened, so it's much more likely to never happen again than it is to repeat itself every March. People also seem to forget that snowstorm hit on March 13. I've heard it described as an unexpected spring storm, but March 13 is still winter, at least for another week or so.

I'm sure Sandy will leave behind billions of dollars in damage, and even though it didn't land in Tennessee, my homeowners insurance will somehow go up.

Which makes me wonder, if an insurance office gets hit, who pays for that?

michael.thomason@advocateanddemocrat.com | 442-4575