Snomageddon 2010

Sunday — February 7

We survived SNOMAGEDDON 2010.

Mui made it home from Turkey before the worst of the storm hit; not sure we’d be in such great shape otherwise. Our driveway is down to blacktop; the streets in the subdivision are down to just a thin layer of packed snow. Though the power flickered several times over the past couple of days and the fridge conked out this afternoon (at least that’s when we noticed it), we didn’t lose power and were, therefore, warm and cozy during the height of the snowstorm. (We’ve got enough snow on the back deck to serve as an impromptu fridge until the serviceman gets here on Friday.)

The aftermath!

Our impromptu fridge!

The snow started around 10:00a on Friday, February 5. It was light, but it was steady. Not once was there a break in the white stuff coming down. Luckily, the ground was “warmish” from two days of temps in the low 40F (4C) range, so not much stuck for several hours. I went out twice in the afternoon and shoveled about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of heavy, wet snow each time, praying all the while that Mui would make it home before the worst of the weather hit us.

Mui was overseas for both the 1996 and 2003 blizzards that dumped about 20 and 25 inches (50/62.5 cm) respectively in our neighborhood. The snow piles got so high that after a while I just couldn’t lift the shovel high enough to remove all of the snow. I certainly didn’t want a repeat of those experiences again! Luckily he made it home in time — not that it was easy. His trip ended up being a “plane, train, and SUV” story and went something like this: fly out of Ankara, Turkey on time; arrive in Munich, Germany to find flight to DC cancelled; switch to a flight to Philadelphia; take the 5:05p Acela to DC; car pool with strangers in a 4WD SUV taxi to get to Northern Virginia. (By the way, my thanks again to internet/blog friends who offered to put Mui up if he got stuck in Philadelphia; luckily we didn’t have to take advantage of their generous offer.)

Mui’s tale of woe didn’t end there — no rest for the weary, I'm afraid. We fed him a hot meal that mom had prepared and off he went into the cold, dark night to clear the 10 inches (25 cm) or so that had accumulated by then. Sure he used the snow blower, but the heavy, wet snow wasn’t that easy to get rid of. He earned a good night’s sleep for his efforts.

The snow fell non-stop overnight and we woke up to a white world on February 6. The snow was still coming down strong and heavy and the news reports said it would continue all day. At that point, we were all glad that mom had flown in from Massachusetts Thursday instead of waiting until Saturday as originally scheduled. After a quick breakfast, Mui and I went out to clear another foot (30 cm) of snow. It took us two hours of concentrated work and all we had to show for our efforts in the end was a lighter accumulation from the snow that was continuing to fall. Mui then went on to help our next door neighbors — our turn to play good samaritan!

Nice to look at, but not easy to get rid of!

Let the second round of clearing begin!

After a third round of clearing snow after lunch, Mui and I walked through knee-deep snow to get a few things from the supermarket down the street. We didn’t really need anything desperately, but it was a good excuse to get out for a reason other than to shovel white stuff!

Stranded!

With the snow starting to taper off around 4:00p, the last bits of clearing went more quickly. By 5:00p, the snow was over, the skies were brighter, and we even had a few patches of blue showing through the clouds. At that point, we called the total accumulation at 27 inches (67.5 cm), give or take an inch or two.

Left: Mom takes Mr King out to play in the snow.
Right: Mui’s still smiling after the last round of snow clearing!

Snomageddon comes to an end, leaving us with piles of snow everywhere.

The brightening skies as the day drew to a close on the 6th gave us hope that we would have nice weather on Sunday. That’s exactly what we got — beautiful blue skies; brilliant sunshine. It was quite cold, but that did not stop us from going out to enjoy the winter wonderland that was outside the door.

Scenes like this almost make having a blizzard worthwhile — I said almost!

After a hearty breakfast, we all bundled up and went for a 1½-mile (~2½ km) walk around the neighborhood. There was plenty of snow on the ground, but that worked to buffer the ice that lay underneath, making it easier for us to walk. There was hardly any traffic, which was a good thing — the side roads were a mess of broken up chunks of snow that had hardened overnight. By no means were we the only ones out and about, but it certainly looked like we were the only ones out for the sheer joy of taking in the snowy landscape. Everyone else was hard at work digging out. What can I say; we paid our dues by shoveling and blowing throughout Saturday.

Here are a few scenes from our morning stroll in winter wonderland.

Visit my online gallery for more photographs that tell our story of Snomageddon 2010

And, to commemorate the storm that added to the overall 44.9 inches (112 cm) of snow that has fallen this winter season (3rd snowiest on record), Mui prepared a short video clip for your viewing pleasure.

If you think we've had a pretty tough winter, you'd be right. If you think we're going to get a break from Pachamama — better known as Mother Nature around here — you'd be wrong. The next storm is expected to come through on Tuesday night. Forecasters say this one won’t be as bad. It’s all relative, of course!!!! We could certainly do without the projected 5-10 inches (12.5 – 25 cm) on top of what we already have piled up!

I am so ready for spring!!!!!

We Have Another Snow Event

Wednesday — February 3

What do you know!!!! The driveway was barely clear of any signs of the snowstorm that hit us on January 30 before we had another “snow event” come through the area. The "white stuff" fell all through last night, leaving behind another 3 inches (7.5 cm) to shovel this morning. Thanks to a “Good Samaritan” — I’m guessing it was my next door neighbors — I only had half of the driveway to shovel. Thanks R&C; I promise Mui will help you the next time around.

Here are a few photographs from this snow event.

A Good Samaritan cleared half the driveway of the snow that fell overnight on February 2; I took care of the other half.

A narrow path has been cleared all the way down the sidewalk.

Snow steps mimic the risers.

Pristine snow in sunshine — it almost makes the shoveling worthwhile.

Just enough snow to decorate the boughs without breaking them.

My Churchill snow boots are sure coming in handy here in snowy Virginia!

The sun is out and the temperature is warming up nicely — we’re projected to hit 41F (5C) today. Even more sunshine and warm temps are expected tomorrow — that ought to melt at least some of the snow that’s already on the ground before the weekend storm hits us. Yes, that’s right; we have the potential for a storm to rival the magnitude of December’s “Snobama” starting late on Friday! Welcome home Mui!

At Least It Wasn't a Blizzard

Sunday — January 31

It never fails! Whenever Mui travels overseas during winter months, we get snow here. At least it wasn't a blizzard this time!!!

The snow started around 9:00a on January 30. By 4:16p, this is what our subdivision looked like as the snow continued to fall.

Janaury 31 dawns with bitter-cold temperatures, blue skies, and plenty of sunshine.

Here’s the obligatory photo of the back deck showing total snow accumulation.

Yes; I cleared the driveway.

There seems to be a possibility of some wintry mix next Friday. Let’s hope the current forecast holds for a light storm. Otherwise, Mui may be sleeping at the airport when he lands at Dulles!

Virtual Cruise on Celebrity Mercury

The photo galleries for our December 2009 Caribbean Cruise are online.

For individual galleries:

Mercury — This gallery contains photographs of CC 1200, our concierge class cabin on the Sky Deck, and some of the public areas where we spent time during the cruise. Also included here are photographs of Mercury docked in the various ports we called on during the cruise.

Pre-Cruise in Baltimore — This gallery contains photographs from our weekend in Baltimore, Maryland, our embarkation port.

At Sea and In the Ports — This gallery contains photographs from our 12-night cruise.

You can use the "style" button to select your favorite mode of viewing ... be it slideshow or journal.

Enjoy your virtual cruise!

Christmas in Gardner — Part II

Friday — December 25

Days start early at Aunt L’s. Christmas Day was no exception. We had a nice breakfast, which included homemade scones that Aunt L had baked and Amish friendship bread that Mui had baked. (Here’s the story and recipe for the Amish bread; our thanks to Jen B. for introducing us to this very tasty treat.) After the dishes were washed and put away, we sat down to exchange gifts … many thanks to our two Santas for the thoughtful and fun presents.

Merry Christmas from Gardner!

The rest of the day was spent at home — more reminiscing, more conversation, more laughter. A quiet holiday celebration — just the way we like it.

Saturday — December 26

Another early morning found us at the breakfast table to start the day out. To yesterday’s treats, mom added a fresh-baked breakfast strata (think French toast casserole topped with maple syrup) — very yummy. Then it was off to do a bit of shopping before we headed north to Maine.

There was light traffic en route — nothing to hinder us from arriving in Kennebunkport in time for lunch. A light snowfall, with big fat flakes, added to the holiday ambiance of the charming town. Unlike the summer months, finding parking was easy and soon we were walking to Allison’s. Our timing was perfect. No sooner were we seated at a table overlooking Dock Square that the place filled up with diners. Of course, there was no doubt that whatever meal we ordered would include lobster in some shape or form. For Mui, that was lobster cobb salad; for mom and me, petite lobster rolls. Mom enjoyed her sandwich with a cup of clam chowder and I had a delicious French onion soup that was perfect on a cold winter day. Dessert for the two of us was a concoction called "Maine Black Bear" — black raspberry swirl with chocolate raspberry mini-melts in vanilla ice cream. Totally delish! Mui ordered the blueberry pie a la mode and deemed it excellent.

After lunch, we started out on a stroll around town, but the weather had chilled quite a bit. So we scratched that idea and went for a drive along the coast to see if our 41st President and Mrs Bush were home for the holidays!

Merry Christmas from Kennebunkport!

Sunday — December 27

All things must come to an end! And so has our Christmas trip. It was lots of fun! Thanks for hosting us Aunt L.

We left Gardner at 7:00a. The light drizzle that accompanied us on Route 2 changed to pouring rain as we approached the I-91 junction. By the time we reached Hartford at 8:30a, however, there was no sign of any wet stuff and the overcast was replaced by brilliant sunshine and blue skies for the rest of the drive. In fact, the day’s high was 54F (12C) — not bad at all for late December.

We had an itinerary mapped out, but we changed it on a whim, taking all kinds of scenic secondary roads instead. After our experience with the Tappan Zee Bridge on the 23rd, we took a more northerly route to avoid the traffic and crossed the Hudson River via the Bear Mountain Bridge.

Bear Mountain Bridge

An overlook near Bear Mountain Bridge provides a break from driving.

We reached Parsippany, New Jersey around 1:00p — time for a lunch break. We decided to take advantage of the nice day and have an al fresco meal. As luck would have it, we chanced upon the Veterans Memorial Park just off Route 46. After taking a few minutes to fix some of the stick flags that had been planted into the ground around the memorial, we sat on a bench and ate the ham & cheese sandwiches mom had made for us. Some Amish friendship bread and date balls for desert rounded out our simple picnic.

Parsippany Veterans Memorial

The rest of our drive home went smoothly except for two bad patches of traffic. First, when we were leaving Parsippany — structural damage to a bridge; later, when we turned off Route 15 onto I-270. The latter was frustrating, but expected. All in all though, it wasn’t a bad day’s drive and we pulled into our garage at 6:00p, ready for a quiet evening at home.

Mom, thanks for the “3-in-1 Softie.”

Happy 2010 everyone! May it be filled with love, laughter, happiness, and health.

Christmas in Gardner — Part I

With mom visiting from overseas, a family Christmas celebration was in order this year. That meant a road trip to Aunt L’s house in Gardner, Massachusetts. Figuring that the shorter I-95 route had an increased potential for congested holiday traffic, we picked a longer route that we hoped would minimize travel headaches. This is the story of our road trip.

“Two to Travel” goes to Gardner for Christmas.

Wednesday — December 23

We didn’t quite make it to Aunt L’s tonight, but then we weren’t planning to do so anyway. Our intent all along was to stop when/if the holiday traffic got bad or Mui’s eyes needed a rest (recent PRK procedure), whichever came first.

We left the house at 5:00a. There was very little traffic and we had no problems getting out of the DC area. Any concerns we might have had about road conditions following the previous weekend’s snowstorm were quickly allayed. Not only were the roads clear of snow and slush, there was no hint of any icing either.

We made very good time, arriving in Lancaster, Pennsylvania around 8:00a. Time for a break! We found ourselves a nice little coffee shop — Prince St Café — and hurried inside to get out of the chill. (The temp was around 20F (-6C), down from the 30F (-1C) we had started out at when we backed out of our garage.) A simple breakfast was all we needed. Before long, we were back on the road again.

A yummy hot chocolate and a simple breakfast for our morning break.

Our next stop was at Cabela’s in Hamburg, Pennsylvania. I won’t tell you why we stopped at the “world’s foremost outfitter” — that would give away our “adventure vacation” plans for next year. (Suffice it to say, we’re not going hunting!) Unfortunately, we didn’t find what we were looking for. It looks like a springtime visit is going to be in order to outfit ourselves for August 2010.

Cabela’s bills itself as the “world’s foremost outfitter.”

Can you find Mui?

One of the many exhibits throughout the store in Hamburg.

10:30a found us on the road once again. Except for a few rest breaks, we drove through Pennsylvania and New Jersey without any more stops. Then we hit the Tappan Zee Bridge to cross into New York and everything skidded to a halt. OK, OK. We didn’t come to a full stop, but I wouldn’t consider inching along the freeway for miles on end making much headway. Things improved when we finally made our way onto the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut. We still had plenty of traffic to keep us company, but at least it was flowing.

At this point, we started thinking about calling it a day. I took out the cell phone and dialed the Four Points by Sheraton in Meriden for a reservation. A full 12 hours after leaving home, we were unpacking our overnight bag.

The Four Points provides a comfortable room for our overnight stay.

Although the hotel has a pub/sports bar, we opted to have dinner at Lido’s, an Italian place offering all kinds of “pastabilities.” We split a calamari appetizer, a Caesar salad, and a shrimp scampi served on linguine. Great food — especially the calamari — but the portions were gigantic; we could have easily fed one more person, maybe even two. Luckily, the cannoli Mui had his heart set on was small — that was the only part of the meal that did not have any leftovers.

All in all, it was a good travel day — except for the two hours wasted with traffic delays. It could have been worse, however, so no complaints. We don’t have far to drive tomorrow — only about 107 miles (~170 km). Considering the potential for Christmas Eve holiday traffic, especially as the day wears on, another early departure will be in order.

Thursday — December 24

Our Highlander was one of few cars traveling on I-91 when we left the Four Points at 6:00a to continue our way north. Taking advantage of the lack of holiday traffic, we used some of the more scenic secondary roads to complete our drive. Two hours after leaving Meriden, we were taking the exit to Gardner, “the furniture capital of New England.”

There’s one place I like to visit whenever we hit town — the “biggest chair in the world.” Knowing this, Mui drove directly to this iconic symbol of “Chair City.” I was tempted to climb the chair, but the temperature was hovering around 23F (-5C) and I wasn’t dressed in enough layers to dally outside for long.

That’s what I call a big chair!

Since Mui had given into my whim to visit a spot from my childhood, I agreed to his request to check out the local Big Lots store before heading over to Aunt L’s. I was surprised to find the store all but deserted on Christmas Eve. We wandered around at leisure, picking up a couple of things that caught our eye, including a sofa table to fill a spot that’s been standing empty in my office at work.

We pulled into Aunt L’s at 9:30a. The rest of the day passed in a blur of reminiscence and conversation. My cousin and his family joined us for a delightful Christmas Eve dinner complete with bacon wrapped shrimp, spinach turnovers, baked ham, scalloped potatoes, and a dish my grandmother used to make for Christmas — tourtière (a meat pie originating from Quebec; here’s one version of the recipe). Dessert was a selection of lime-pear jello mold, pina colada cheesecake, gingerbread cookies, date balls, and Mui’s contribution — chocolate chip cookies. Everything was quite yummy and not a single person left Aunt L’s hungry.

The evening concluded with a partial gift exchange (more to come tomorrow morning) and an ice cream cake to celebrate my cousin’s birthday (December 23) and my mother’s birthday (December 24). We also sent a virtual birthday wish to my sister, who shares a birthday with mom.

A joint after-dinner clean-up effort had everything restored to normal in record time. Before long, we were all in our respective beds, dreaming of sugar plums and dancing reindeer.

Next Up: Christmas in Gardner — Part II

Happy Holidays 2009

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR

Blizzard of 2009

Snowzilla ... Snownami ... Capital Crippler ... Snowmageddon ... Shopper Stopper ... Goreaster ... Snobama ... no matter what the name, the Blizzard of 2009 was a doozy that dumped many inches of snow in a 24-hour period. In our neighborhood, we topped off at 19 inches (~47½ cm).

According to the weather guys, we beat out the 1932 record for most snowfall in December - 11½ inches (~29 cm). What's even more noteworthy is that the 1932 accumulation was for the entire month of December. We got all of ours in one day.

For me, the record to beat was January 1996. During that blizzard, we got 17.3 inches (~43 cm). As Mui was out of the country for that one, I had to do all the shoveling. This time — he was here to do the work ... with the help of a snowblower! Not fair I say!

The snow is now over and everyone in the neighborhood is shoveling-out driveways. Mui took care of clearing the overnight accumulation earlier this morning. The sun is out; the sky is blue. Although it's tempting to go out and find some scenic spots to photograph, we're going to stay home and let the snowplows do their job of clearing the roads around the area. Besides, all those people who were planning to do their Christmas shopping or start their Christmas road trips yesterday are probably already out there. No need to add to the congestion.

Here's our story:

The snow started around 9:00pm on the 18th. Twelve hours and 8 inches (~20 cm) later this is what the deck looked like.

At 9:00a on the 19th, this was the view from my home office.

By 1:30p, my 12-inch (~30 cm) ruler was just barely peeking out; Mui put in a longer ruler.

At 2:00p; snow still falling. Mui’s morning shoveling of the driveway was in vain. Bundled up in our winter gear, we decided to brave the elements and go for a walk.

At 4:15p, we're at 15½ inches (~39 cm); snow still falling steadily.

At 4:30p, Mui decided it was time to go out for a second round of snow clearing.

Our thanks to whoever invented the snowblower!

At 5:00p, Mui was still hard at work.

At 8:00p, the 18-inch ruler was topped out. Mui put out the yardstick to find out that there was 18½ inches (~46 cm) of accumulation.

A new day has dawned. There’s a bit of drift against the yardstick, but at 9:00a on the 20th, I’m calling the snow over, kaput, finished with 19 inches (~47.5 cm) of accumulation.

A 19-inch (~47.5 cm) wall of snow blocks our way to the deck.

View from my home office. Quite a change from this time yesterday.

I’m glad that’s not our car!!!

Mui makes one last run with the snowblower.

We have blacktop success!

Sssssh! Don't wake him. Mui deserves a snooze.

Back Home from the Cruise

Saturday — December 12

The cruise is over and we’re home. We’ve been busy since pulling into the driveway — our bags are unpacked, things are put away. I’ve already started a load of laundry and there’s another pile to go. Mui's gone grocery shopping. In other words, the post-cruise routine is well underway.

It was still pitch dark when we woke up this morning. Very few people were out and about when we went down to the Palm Springs Café for breakfast. We watched the lights on shore go by as we ate our meal. Slowly, people started to stream in; everyone was dressed for the cold winter day. All too soon the Cruise Maryland terminal was in sight and it was time to vacate CC1200, our home away from home for the past 12 days.

When we returned to the cabin to collect our carry-on bags, we stepped out on the veranda to see just how much snow there was on the ground. None! Great; we wouldn’t have to dig the car out in order to drive home. On the dock, the pace was already picking up — the covered gangway was being swung in place; luggage was being off-loaded from the ship; pallet upon pallet of provisions were being placed at the ready for the next cruise.

Rank — in this case, being Captain’s Club Select members — has its privileges. One of those privileges is early debarkation. The letter we had received from Celebrity called for us to be in the Celebrity Theater at 7:45a. It turns out that there was quite a bit of delay and our group wasn’t called to the gangway until 8:30a. No biggie; I read my book while Mui chatted with some fellow passengers. The time certainly passed quickly.

Once the announcement was made that we could disembark, things moved quickly. We made our way through Immigration without too much delay; found our bags in the right pile in the claim area; handed our customs form to the agent near the exit; and hauled everything off to the car. By 9:00a, we were on the freeway; by 10:00a, we were home.

Celebrity Mercury is visible from the freeway in Baltimore.
(photo courtesy of CruiseCritic poster, Radio)

Winter cruising out of Baltimore is an incredible convenience for us, especially since we don’t mind if there’s some cold weather at the beginning and the end of the cruise. We had a very nice break from the winter blahs and we’re tempted to book the same cruise for next year. That said, we’ll have to wait and see if we can fit it into our 2010 vacation schedule.

From Hot to Cold — Three Days at Sea

Friday — December 11

Our bags are packed, tagged “Red 4,” and placed outside the cabin door. Today’s cold temps — it was 47F (8C) at noon — served as an incentive to get this end-of-the-cruise chore out of the way early in the day. Now, I have a bit of time before dinner to catch up on the blog.

Though the brisk wind made it way too cold to sit on the veranda today, that wasn’t the case the past two days. The weather was hot the first day out from Sint Maarten; balmy the second day. It wasn’t until late afternoon yesterday that the temperature started to dip and the ship’s motion became far more evident than it had been at any other time during the cruise.

Our first two days at sea after our last port call followed the same pattern as our last two days at sea before our first port call. We were up around 6:30a; did our laps on the jogging trail on the Sky Deck; ate a leisurely breakfast; spent pretty much the rest of the day on the veranda. Plenty of reading; some embroidery; some blogging; a few crossword puzzles — the days flew by.

First my feet, then me.

Mui takes advantage of the hot temps to take a dip in the pool.

We woke up to overcast skies this morning, but the clouds glowed as the sun rose to the aft of the ship. The pink glow didn’t last long. I didn’t need to step out on the veranda to gauge the temperature — the day just looked cold and dismal. And so it has been.

After breakfast, we bundled into our layers and went for a walk on the Promenade Deck. It wasn’t easy to do. Not only is the bow off-limits on this ship, but to go around the aft, you have to go up a set of stairs from deck 6 to deck 7 and then go back down again on the other side; a “u” instead of a full circle. To make things even more difficult, the staircase back down to deck 6 was cordoned off to swab one side of the Promenade Deck with soapy water. Oh well; we walked a bit and then found a couple of chairs from which to enjoy the seascape. We had the entire Promenade Deck to ourselves. I’m sure the few people who stepped out for a few seconds thought we were crazy. But sheltered from the wind, we were actually very comfortable.

After lunch, which was a cross between having our main course in the dining room and our dessert in the Palm Springs Café, we finished our packing before going to the cinema to catch the matinee show. Today’s feature film was Valkyrie, starring Tom Cruise as Von Stauffenberg, the Wehrmacht colonel who was one of the key players in a plot to assassinate Hitler. Spending the afternoon at the movies was a perfect pastime on a cold winter day at sea — all we were missing was the popcorn!

More later …

... Later — 10:00p

When we left the islands behind, we also left our al fresco dinners on the veranda behind and went back to eating in the dining room. We even dressed up last night and went to the formal night dinner instead of taking advantage of the casual dining venue in the Palm Springs Café. Tonight we ate our last meal in the Manhattan Restaurant — at least for this cruise —and said our goodbyes to Cesar and Gunowry.

Menus for our last three dinners in the Manhattan Restaurant.

We brought our evening to a close with a walk around the ship. It was pretty quiet in the lounges and the shops. There were a lot of bags out in the hallways, waiting to be whisked away to the bowels of the ship. All signs of our impending debarkation tomorrow. I guess all good things must come to an end; a cruise is no exception. The weather forecasts these past few days have mentioned snow in the Mid-Atlantic region. Let’s hope we don’t have to dig our car out at the cruise terminal tomorrow.

Next Up: Back Home from the Cruise