2 inches an Hour

Snow--it is falling at the rate of 2 inches per hour with 10 inches expected before midnight.

Help.

I think the beginning of Snowpocaplyse 2011 is under way.

The roads are pretty well shut, the snow, on top of the two inches we had this morning is already about 6 inches deep.

And we are experiencing thunder snow--lightening and thunder amidst the heavy snow.

We need to have a party.

Remember? It was Bad!

I was going through my images from winter yesterday and ran across this one. It reminded me of how bad it really was during the middle of the snowpocalypse.

Bad.

Nothing but snow and cold as far as could be seen.

No travel.

No sun.

Nothing except dreaming of a warm beach somewhere.

Thank you for summer!!

I love summer and the beach and the salty air. And the heat.

Bring it on it is so much better.

Washing off at the beach after a morning of fun in the surf and the sun.

Sleeping the afternoon away to get ready for the evening of more beach time and looking for turtles laying their eggs.

Swatting mosquitos and wondering where the dragonflies are.

Really--don't rush summer's ending. The alternative is just too cold to imagine and it will be here soon enough. Coats, gloves, boots and the ever present cold.

Snow fizzler and Olympic Hockey

I woke up this morning anticipating the worst weather possible--and at a minimum having to shovel the driveway.

But it seems that Maryland was spared, so far, and places like Upstate NY are going to get hammered as a result.

Frankly--we deserved the break. I think we have enough snow, although much of it is about gone.

On to other stuff though---

Being the huge hockey fan that I am, I just have to make a comment about last nights Canadian blow out of the Russian hockey team. Wow! Did someone forget to tell the Russians what time the game started?

I'm really hoping that the gold medal game is US vs Canada in a rematch! Although the US team did not look all that good against Switzerland, remember that the Swiss team took the Canadians to a shoot out when they played. And the US had to play the Swiss team twice.

But I'm beginning to look ahead a bit I guess. First up for the US team to get to the gold medal round is going to be the Fins who I think were the number three seed entering the tournament after Russia and Canada.

What are we all going to do after the Olympics?

Oh yeah--it's baseball season and the Spring Training games will be getting into full swing. AND there are six more weeks to the regular hockey season followed by three months of playoffs before the Penguins are crowned back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions!

And flowers and blossoms and grass to mow and pools to open. Soon!

Snow and Panic

And so the regional panic of the record setting snowfall continues today.

It is expected to snow later this evening and there is panic in the streets as people rush to the stores to obtain supplies in case the storm changes and smashes us with feet instead of inches of snow.

I have to admit--my new cat is safely in the garage isolated form this terrible forecast.

In jeopardy--my weekend trip to warmer climates: Houston for the biggest birthday bash ever thrown in the family!!

Will Southwest cancel my flight on Friday?

Will I get a refund if they do, or just a credit?

Why is this so hard?

And yet the snow (from inches to feet) is still coming and the frustrating thing is that we hope for the best, but must plan for the worst!

My question--will this winter ever end and let us get on with the rest of our lives? I want to go out and dig in my gardens and see the crocus and daffodils get us on the path of springtime.

The In Between Time

The panic has started already, even though the weather forecasters are playing it down. Another storm is on the map with its sights set on Maryland.

Ugh!

Does it really matter if we get 10 or 20 or even 30 inches more of snow?

I need to wade out to the diving board to get a good masurement of how much of the white stuff is on the ground.

But Monday night they are talking about snowfall of about 8 inches.

Today, however, is Saturday and the entire region will be out. Including us. There is pent up energy and the malls should look like Christmas shopping season. Of course Valentines Day is tomorrow! And guess what most of us haven't done?

Last evening--the condition of the roads contributed so some of the worst gridlock I have ever witnessed. I-95 was not moving in both directions which backed up MD100 which affected the Parkway and US1. We went to a friends house and a normal 10 minute drive took 30 minutes.

And it is because the roads randomly go from two to one lanes in really bad places.

Monday is a holiday--maybe the roads will be ready for the morning rush on Tuesday, unless everything is paralyzed once again by snow!

Snowpocalypse 2010 - A Return to Normalcy

Well the snow has stopped for over 24 hours now.

The roads are pretty clear outside of the neighborhoods--in the neighborhood, I'll still not sure that my truck is going to be able to climb the hill in front of the house due to the snow and ice--but we're going to give it a shot in a couple of minutes.

I have already been told, officially, that parking at work today will be a free-for-all and on a first-come-first-served basis! Should be fun.

The snow began melting yesterday--which is good; but it started lots of pools of standing water which became ice overnight--and that is bad.

I had a very good day yesterday and was busy all day working on a project with Chris which I will write about when I can get some pictures together. Suffice it to say, I put a real dent in my mid-life crisis and have some new wheels to drive to Florida this summer!

It is funny to be going to work today knowing that I will be leaving on a three-day weekend at the end of the day. Like we can go anywhere while hoping that the snow storm hitting the south does not decide to drop by for a visit with us.

There is going to be a lot of clean-up work once the snow melts--downed trees and limbs.

I wonder if the snow will ever melt! Maybe instead of Global Warming we are entering another Ice Age? Although I was thinking it would be cool to have a snowmobile. With all of the snow we have not seen even one of those awesome northern machines!

Well, in our return to more normal endeavors, we are planning to go with friends to Annapolis to do some wine shopping tomorrow! That will get us off on the right foot of trying to get back to doing normal stuff.

Snowpocalypse 2010. Although the snowing has stopped the snow remains and the memory will last for a very long time here in Maryland.

Snowpocalypse 2010 Round 2 - The Clean-up after the Storms

Well, round 2 was certainly interesting with the blowing snow. It was reminiscent of blizzards I remember when I was a kid.

The whiteout conditions that existed looking towards the end of the driveway. I took this about 4 PM yesterday (10 Feb) as I was talking myself out of shoveling the driveway.

And in the aftermath of the storm, we find blue skies. And snow. It almost seems pretty. Pretty cold!

The two blobs are the Patrick's broken Honda on the left and my beloved Kitty on the right. We may not find them again until summer at this rate.

We did lose a tree--one of the Junipers couldn't take the weight of the snow and wind and gave it up. Funny thing is, the top of this tree was broken a few years ago and I successfully put it back on--but now, the tree is a total loss.

But life goes on and we'll plant something there to replace it. And, I get to use my chainsaw!

New Olympic Sports from Snowpocalypse 2010

Well, it has come to this.

As we all sit around watching the nothingness which is television, our minds begin to wander to sports and the Winter Olympics which start in two days.

Here are some new sports which are being talked about on Facebook:

Poo patrol...This is where you have to get your dog to poo in a blizzard in the quickest amount of time. It involves shoveling out a large area and path and then having to rescue your dog when he deviates from the path and gets stuck in 4' of snow. The 300' X 30' driveway shovel should be kick ass... The 5' (snowplow just went by) mailbox dig... great stuff.... I'm darn sure we have a better luge on my street than they do in Vancouver! "Find the Fire Hydrant" event and don't forget the ever popular Dig the car out of the ice mound without getting killed by on-coming traffic event (I mean it has to be better than curling)

Snowpocaplyse 2010 Round 2 - Makayla

At least one member of the family enjoys being outside in the snow. And I love taking pictures of her in the snow.

Maybe it is her silver and black coloring against the snow. Who knows.

But she is so cute.

At least I can smile about something from the snow.

Snowpocalypse 2010 Round 2 Starting Point

As the second round of the storm begins--this is the condition of one of the main roads we must traverse to get out to US 1.

Ugly.

Makayla enjoyed the walk though and Chris snapped the picture.

And there are two streets in worse condition between us and this one. More fun as we hunker down waiting for the no kidding blizzard conditions to come upon us.

And after the walk?

What happens to Makayla as she dries off and the snow melts off her. Well it is into the basement to dry off for a while. Of course she keeps a close eye in the action.

Snowpocalypse 2010 Round 2 - It Begins

Snow is falling--we got about 4 inches overnight with about 10 inches more expected during the day in what is being called Blizzard conditions.

We did get out to visit with the family yesterday. We did some sledding down a hill with Ethan and Jax and then looked at a house that Nicole and Jeremy are considering buying and subsequently went to dinner with them and of course the newest grandson--Lucas.

So as I looked off the porch this morning as Round 2 begins, I was confronted by more of the same: snow falling from the sky. Although I do like the reflection of the flash off the falling snow flakes. It is important to note that the truck was free of snow yesterday--and so it provides a record of the snow which has fallen overnight.

Oh--that blob behind the truck is my Jaguar. And the one behind that is Patrick's disabled Honda waiting for better weather for us to get it ready to sell.

I'm not sure we'll see either of them again until May--at the rate snow is falling. At least Kitty, the Jaguar, has a car cover over top of her.

As we drove around yesterday we were shocked by the number of trees which the round 1 of the storm brought down.

On the other hand--we have been really pleased to see our whole community pull together to help each other dig out.

Everyone knows--this is the fault of that woodlands weather forecaster--right? We need to put a contract out on Punxsutawney Phil.

Now here is the serious part:
- Gas stations are running out of gas (we had to go to two stations last night to fill the car)
- Grocery store shelves are beginning to get bare (Safeway was out of eggs and orange juice and was nearly out of milk yesterday.
- The isn't a snow shovel to be had in the region (both of mine need to be replaced--but I've repaired them for the next round)
- The roads in some places are a mess--even the main roads change from two to one open lane without warning and many secondary roads are snow packed and barely wide enough for two vehicles to pass.
- Many cars and streets still waiting to be freed from the previous snowfall
- Snow removal equipment trying to find creative places to put the snow
- Drivers who have not changed their technique to accommodate the reduced visibility at corners and lack of on ramps on the highways.

But we are OK and expect to persevere.

Snowpocalypse 2010 - The Next Assault is in Sight

Just in case any one wondered--there is another major winter storm coming to visit us. I'm calling this Snowpocalypse Round 2.

Yes--later today, another 10-18 inches are waiting to increase misery in the region.

If I really wanted this much snow, I would have decided to live somewhere north, like Montana.

Ugh--I'd rather be on a beach. Like this one--Blowing Rocks Park on Jupiter Island, Florida. By the way--the forecast high for today there is 79 degrees compared to our 35 degrees. Maybe this will warm me up a bit.

And I heard on the Today Show this morning that they are still trucking snow into Vancouver for the Olympics. Amazing how they haven't contacted me yet--I have extra--lots of it.

Snowpocalypse 2010--Just 60 Days Away

One of the pictures we took the other day was of the flowering cherry tree in our yard.

I thought about this tree--and I could remember what it will look like in about 60 days as Spring gets into full swing.

It will not be snow covered until then, will it?

Surely we will get some relief. I feel confident of that.

Ok---I hope?

Snowpocalypse 2010 - Scenes from the Frontline

This image drove it home for me--the amount of snow piling up everywhere. Of course, the railing cannot hold all of the snow that fell--but as the wind was blowing off the rail I was presented with this shot of how high the snow was piled.

And it is piled this high everywhere. Trudging through the snow is just that--trudging in every sense of the word.

I found this definition in the Merriam-Webster on line dictionary:

: to walk or march steadily and usually laboriously as trudged through deep snow

they even used what we are going to do later today to define the word.

Looking out of the crystal window--Another view of Snowpocalypse 2010

Standing in my entry way looking out the window on the front door--I got a very different perspective on the world this morning.

It almost seemed pretty with the stunning blue sky, and the pure white snow accented by the melting driveway and the air cleared by 16 degree temperatures.

Still can't go anywhere--but the scenery gives new meaning to the phrase, "It's a marshmallow world."

Look out, I think the Sta-puff Marshmallow Man has been by!

I had to look at the house on Google Earth to remind myself of how things look when they are not covered with snow.

Snowpocalypse 2010 Update from the Front Part II

Well--the driveway is clean.

But the street is still packed with the 38.3 inches of snow that fell in Elkridge.

It is amazing. We went out last evening in the fading light of the day to capture some images of the results of the storm. As you can see--the sky had cleared and the sunset colors were casting a warm glow over the frozen wastelands that used to be our yards.

To give a perspective of how high we have piled the snow to get it out of our driveway--Chris is standing in front of the pile--and it is above her head. We are all worried about where to pile the additional six to seven inches of snow expected on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Makayla is feeling the effects of the snow the most of any of us. She can't break through the deep snow on her own--so every time I take her out she makes a beeline for the end of the driveway and the paths we have all made connecting with the neighbors.

This morning though--the sun is rising--the sky is clear. It is a balmy 13 degrees. And we are ready for the day.

Snowpocalypse 2010 Update from the Front

It is still snowing.

After three hours of shoveling--we are getting more snow. And believe it or not, due to the Thunder Snow last night, Elkridge is leading the region in snow fall totals.

We are over 30 inches now--and there are six more on the way on Tuesday and Wednesday.

We have some cool pictures--that I will be sharing.

Makayla is having a blast in the snow--although she was a little freaked out by the depth of the snow. She loves to follow me in snow trails that I make.

But the driveway is shoveled--we expect the street to be plowed Monday morning. Yup--that's correct--Monday morning and today is Saturday. They are having enough of a problem keeping I-95 open they have not even begun to worry about the side and residential streets.

Note in the picture of the house a miraculous thing. My truck is covered with snow, but Chris' Lexus is not in the picture--for the first time ever--since we have lived here in Elkridge, there is a vehicle in the garage. And we've lived here over 9 years!

Yay us!!!!

Snowpocalypse 2010

We have a new word in the vocabulary! Snowpocalypse. And I heard it first from Jeremy and then saw it elsewhere on Facebook to describe this snow event. And it is.

The region is effectively closed.

Here is Elkridge they are reporting 30 inches--we can confirm about 26 outside.

Chris took these pictures of the storm.

And the snow is still falling--

We have even heard that rarest of weather events: Thunder-snow! Woke us up from a deep sleep as the whole house shook.

And the snow is still falling.

But we are in good shape--we have plenty of wine and cheese.

Oh yeah--we have some food too.


But the good news is that we don't have anywhere we need to be. This week.

The dogs, however, can't figure out where to do their business. That could be a problem.

Follow-ups as they become available.