Snow Day!

This is mostly for my Hawaiian readers.� Here’s the view from my living room looking�east yesterday.

Winds were gusting over 60 mph from the east (from the lake) and snow was falling 1-3 inches/hour.� The wind leaves some places completely bare, and right next door a 5 foot drift.�

My neighbor had nearly a six footer in his driveway.�

Check it out:

George and I had a bit of a snowblower rodeo.� There’s nothing like getting out there with 8 1/2�horses of Briggs and Stratton and tossing some snow around.� The sad part is that this – and the storm we had last week – were the first of the season, which is essentially over.� We’ve had a nearly brown winter.� I suppose we’ll have two more.� How lucky can we get?

To back track, here’s looking�north at the storm’s height:

It was a “snow event.”� Forget old fashioned terms like Blizzard or Show Storm.� No travel was advised, but Sherry had a hair appointment.� Naturally, we had to go, so we headed for Shear Katz in Fitgers by the lake.

While I was waiting, since everything was closed except Shear Katz (during blizzards, only the essentials:� grocery, liquor, and Shear Katz),�I took the opportunity to go out on Gitchi Gummi at the height of the storm.� Two weeks ago during a cold snap, the thing to do was skate the lake, which my wife and children happily did without me one cold day.� Anyway, I headed out – the wind driven snow sandblasting me – onto Superior below Fitgers.� I thought it was a little slushy, then – perilously far from shore with absolutely no one knowing my whereabouts -�I sank to my right knee.

It was time to return to the rocky shore quickly and not mention it to my wife.� Later at home, I confessed my stupidity to my family, only to be told that they’ve been warning against going onto the lake for a week now.� Who knew?

Back home, of course, the girls were home, warm and safe.� School was cancelled both Thursday and Friday.� Lucky us!

As I said earlier, I spent the whole morning with George running my snowblower, blowing out my driveway and�another neighbor’s (they’re retired, but Marilyne still runs a mean blower).� No one’s going anywhere because the roads aren’t plowed yet.� As soon as a plow comes through, we’ll have to blow again because the plow will just fill up our driveway.

My teenage daughters, however, showed that they still have imagination.� They built�show caves, and played cave monster.� Here’s Maia:

She’s the leader in snow event activities.� She strapped on snowpants and headed out first today.� Yesterday, she learned how to run the snowblower, too.� I thought she was having a great time (she did a great job), so I let her do the whole driveway.� Afterwards, it’s reported that she came in, stomping snow off, claiming, “I’m not doing that again.”

Later, she said, “Dad, when I ask to try something like that, I just want to go down and back once.”� I’m still learning a few parenting skills.

Maritha and Kylie are good soldiers, and once Maia led the way, they got into it.� Here they are:

In truth, they didn’t play snow monster, but their caves are�pretty cool.�

If you’re in Hawaii right now, you’re probably thinking that you’ve got it pretty good, and I’m not saying you don’t, but I’m going out snowshoeing in awhile here.�

I’m thinking I’m going to catch some pretty good waves down by the creek.�