BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?

Subject: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 05:49 PM

I barely made it back to Maine from Australia before the massive snow storm on the Eastern Seaboard of the States whalloped us, and continues to bury us as I type this. However, my wife took off immediately for an organizational meeting in Oklahoma, where she arrived safely, but her flight back today standed her in Chicago. Now the airline says they might be able to get her home tomorrow night.

Where were you stuck?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 06:20 PM

We got about half a millimetre of snow on Chatham last night... lasted for about an hour... buy the time I drove back from my gig, it was like it never happened at all...

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Midchuck
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 06:35 PM

We were stranded - in our own house, with ample supplies of beans, whiskey, firewood, rented video movies, and especially instruments.

Yay for snow that comes on a weekend so you don't have to shovel the whole driveway at six in the morning so people can go to work!

Peter.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 06:41 PM

Us, too, Midchuck. Actually, stranded at home with the woman you love is the place to be... We got a foot of snow..

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: LilyFestre
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 06:41 PM

Here on our little mountaintop in NE Pennsylvania, we got about a foot of snow. We weren't TRULY stranded but more of a voluntarily stranded kind of situation...we decided to cancel all planned activities and stay in. My daughter and I worked on some Christmas presents (crafting) and made soup while my husband tyed flies for fishing.    We also all played outside...all of our animals are LOVING the snow, especially our young bull, Chuckie. He scoops up a pile of snow and throws his head back tossing the snow over his head. With a little encouragement, he starts to run and kick up his back feet as he goes! LOL!

I feel we were very fortunate as the worst part of this storm for us was hauling down some extra firewood..and that really isn't so terrible at all.

Hope your wife gets home okay!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Amos
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 06:48 PM

Storm? Was there a storm?

Amos in San Diego
"We don't do thunderstorms
We don't do snow storms
But ask me about firestorms!"

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Bobert
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 07:01 PM

No place like home to be stranded!

Yeah. 1996 and 31 inches of snow here on the Blue Ridge Mountain. Generator. Beer. Guitar... Life was good...

Jan., 2003. 27 inches of snow. Generator. Beer. Same guitar. Life was good...

Thank God I've never found myself standed anywhere else...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Mickey191
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 07:05 PM

I believe we had about 18 inches, however, the wind was terrible and there are 6 foot drifts in my yard. I could not open my front door-twas packed shut. Had to wait for my great neighbor kid who is 16 & LOVES to work. He hand shoveled me out & during rest period I made him breakfast. We talked for over an hour about cars, his first girlfriend,cars school, and cars. He's witty & bright, and I'd love to adopt him. And the nicest thing about this young man, how often he mentioned his Dad, with such obvious love & admiration. It was a great diversion.

Mickey191-Dutchess Co, N.Y.-atop a mountain.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Peace
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 07:09 PM

What's snow?

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: LilyFestre
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 07:15 PM

*sneaking up behind Brucie and tucking a nicely packed snowball down the back of his shirt and thinking there's plenty more where THAT came from!!!*   


*Evil Grin*

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Bobert
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 07:35 PM

....as the Bobert was waitin' fir that milisecond when brucie turned his head to see what was going on and *installed* the second snowball down the front of his britches....

Gotcha....

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: kendall
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 07:44 PM

Just my dog and me and my old TV, so I'm not really stranded. Jerry, you are lucky! I'd settle for a woman I didn't love! (I would have to LIKE her though)

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: artbrooks
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 07:50 PM

I'd be afraid of the same rude treatment, or else I'd ask the same question.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: SINSULL
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 08:05 PM

Kendall,
Are my cats stranded? How much snow did we get?

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: MMario
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 08:06 PM

Well - I spent the better part of Friday Evening, Saturday and Sunday walking around OUTDOORS in Upstate NY encouraging shoppers. I *almost* wish I had been stranded somewhere. The wind of Skaneatlas Lake was COLD!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Peg
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 08:46 PM

Willinglystarnded, thankyouverymuch...lots of snow here, probably a foot and a half, in nearby Peabody they got three feet! Too bad classes won't be cancelled tomorrow! But yeah, it's nice on a weekend, too...I got in some good food Thursday thus missing the mad rush to get groceries that always happens right before a storm come in...between having a writing deadline and wanting to do some painting it was busy, but relaxed...went cross country skiing this afternoon, and want to try and get out and do some more in the morning because next in the forecast will be RAIN! What a mess all that snow will be then...

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: kendall
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 09:01 PM

What cats?

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: SINSULL
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 09:07 PM

heh heh heh And is my mother out on the roof? I had a dream about Seamus last night. Tell him I miss him.
M

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: JennyO
Date: 08 Dec 03 - 09:28 AM

Hi Charlie, give my love to Judy. Hope she gets home safely tomorrow night.

Jenny (who spent today pulling weeds and basking in the sun) :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 08 Dec 03 - 12:16 PM

Off to Portland to pick up Judy, who's been stranded in Chicago. They got so sick of stranded Mainers that the airline decided to add an unscheduled flight this afternoon. I think after our recent trip back from Australia and Oklahomo that she's had her fill of airports, and Margueritas.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 08 Dec 03 - 01:06 PM

I think we lucked out, here in the woods of Nottingham. The local numbers seemed to be all over the place, with Concord getting 18 inches and Rye on the coast logging in with a foot. I don't think we had even a foot.

It blew and snowed and snowed and blew and then blew some more for good measure. All day Saturday and all day Sunday. The wind started to get to me. (I can understand why people go nuts during the Mistral and start killing each other.)

Late Sunday afternoon I decided to take some beads and Lindt chocolates and a bottle of non-alcoholic wine (I know; what's the point?) up the hill to my neighbors'. Maybe 2 inches on the deck and surrounding the house. Trudged through an 8 inch drift at the base of the driveway. The driveway -- uphill 200 feet -- was hard slogging, but only about 6-8 inches deep. Uneven footing underneath, though. Even in front of the cars, parked up at the head of the driveway just in from the road, it was only up to mid-calf. That's including what the town plow pushed in front of the cars.

Today is bright sun and (thank goodness!) no wind. The cars are shovelled out, Tom's gone up to The Gold Bug Antiques in Maine, and I've got a path shovelled up to the cars.

Used the weekend well to get all sorts of stuff done around the house that needed doing. So I'm feeling very accomplished and even more or less rested before heading to work tomorrow morning. The timing of the storm was great. Nice not to have to shovel out on a deadline to get to work at a decent season.

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Rapparee
Date: 08 Dec 03 - 01:45 PM

What snow? We had about an inch this morning, down here in the valley, but up on the hilltops (well, mountains) there's up to 60 inches in some places.

Today's snow lays on the grass,but has pretty much melted off the streets and such.

One of our staff WAS in an accident this morning; a car coming downhill slid sideways and slammed into her, totalling her mother's car. Just about two weeks ago her own car was rear-ended and totaled. She's aching, and we're giving her a bus pass for Christmas.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: harpgirl
Date: 08 Dec 03 - 02:03 PM

Well, I must say Flori-DUH has been pretty chilly the past few days. My heater is about to bite the dust and I am running on the heat strips (whatever the hell that means!).

I have been able to burn the live oak wood I seasoned all year from last year's yearly attempt to keep from having tress fall down on my house during a hurricane...

We all went out to the Sopchoppy River for a singing party around the campfire Saturday night and it was pretty cold for Flori-DUH. We had hats, scarves, gloves, and coats and we drank mulled cider! The clouds look like snow clouds but we haven't had any snow! So, it's pretty cold for these parts!

harpy

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 08 Dec 03 - 04:08 PM

Well, my wife did materialize at the Portland airport on schedule this afternoon. Now we're back at the house and she's sorting through 4 weeks of mail. I'm not sure I could have spent another night being licked and drolled on by her lonely cat. What joy to have her home!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Sorcha
Date: 08 Dec 03 - 04:26 PM

8" in eastern Wyoming and still falling hard....low visibility. And, it's Monday.....I hate the damn stuff.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Rapparee
Date: 08 Dec 03 - 04:33 PM

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllll gone! (Except in the mountains.)

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Midchuck
Date: 08 Dec 03 - 04:58 PM

8" in eastern Wyoming and still falling hard....low visibility. And, it's Monday.....I hate the damn stuff.

Then...why live in eastern Wyoming?

Peter.

(Going to Montana for Christmas 'cause Vermont isn't cold enough...)

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: LilyFestre
Date: 08 Dec 03 - 08:06 PM

Peter.....I used to live in Vermont..there's nothing like a Vermont winter, eh? I love the snow....here's to wishin' we were in Vermont watching the snow fall!!!!!! :)

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Ebbie
Date: 08 Dec 03 - 08:28 PM

Charley Noble, it's nice that your cat has a sense of humor. :)

I had a good two feet on the ground the other day. (Still have them, luckily, but my finger is still bothering me.)

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 08 Dec 03 - 09:04 PM

Well I was almost to Westport Ct when it started. The last 12 miles of a 60 mile drive to go make pots for the grand opening of a new Smith & Hawken store in Westport. It was 1 hour from southern Ridgfield down to Westport. I do love driving around in a newish 4X4 truck in a snow storm though . ( Sorry my New English background. It is the way you get to the best skiing as well !! ) Comming home at 10:30 the roads were realy empty except for RT 84 around Danbury . That was a little tricky. The roads arent the problem its the cars with bad tires or no wieght in the right spots. You can make a rear wheel drive , drive just like a truck with enough cinder blocks in the trunk.
             If you see a car that looks like it isnt putting on its low beams it may just have a ton of wieght in the back and be trying to get tracktion and stay on its own side of the road.   
             My wife and the kids were all in our bed when I got home so at least some one in my house was being cozy.
             How many out there played in volkwagon bugs in the storms when they were kids.??? It is amazing what one could do with a bug in the snow.
             The hardest time I had in the winter was with a 72 Datson truck. It was a hard truck to get working well in the snow..I think I was being cheap on good tires in the time of My life.
         Good tires and figuring out how to make traction dose it every time !!
                         All the best   Guy

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Jeri
Date: 08 Dec 03 - 09:37 PM

Never played with a bug in the snow, but I confess to doing donuts in whatever car I had. Empty parking lots were a lot of fun. Unfortunately, front-wheel drive cars don't do donuts so well and all wheel drive cars don't do them at all - you just slide sideways a little. Studded snow tires (do they make those anymore?) didn't work worth diddley.

I once lived in a place where the road approaching it went up a hill and around a slight curve. If the road was slippery enough, you had to go hell-bent-for-leather up it, or slide back down and off the side at the bend. And then there was the year I went to a New Year's party and drove home in an ice storm. Small bridge at the bottom of two hills. I went down, went up (almost), then slid back down again. Ditched the van and slid, on foot (most of the time) the last mile or so with Bat Goddess & curmudgeon to their house. I don't mind rain, snow, dirt roads or puddles. I HATE driving on ice.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Rapparee
Date: 08 Dec 03 - 10:06 PM

I drive well in snow; I don't like ice at all. What I dislike are the other drivers, since I can't control how THEY drive.

In a blizzard, a true blizzard: I stop at the foot of a hill to give a lift to a fella whose Cadillac was in the ditch. "How come my caddy's in a ditch and your little Honda is moving without problems?" "Front wheel drive -- all the engine weight is over the drive wheels." "Damn, but that makes sense!"

In a snowstorm, low visibility, at night: a four-wheel-drive pickup truck whips past me, going at least 60 mph on a road I figure is good for 45, max. Two miles later I see him trying to get out of a plowed field, spinning all four wheels, throwing mud and ice and snow everywhere. I trundle on past, still going 45....

They sell studded snow tires here in Idaho; they work okay when the studs are fairly new, but not as well as chains. You have to have them off by March 15 or something. I understand Alaska is much the same.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: GUEST,Ely
Date: 08 Dec 03 - 10:35 PM

Whine whine whine. We've all got our weather issues. If it ain't snow up north, it's the Gulf Coast disappearing under the latest series of hurricanes or the Midwest being uprooted by tornadoes.









(I mean that facetiously, people--I've lived in all three places and stuck out my share of all three kinds of weather.)

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Jeri
Date: 08 Dec 03 - 10:52 PM

I'm not whining. I'm bitching. Subtle difference, but hey, it's not like I have anything else to talk about.

I probably told this some other time on Mudcat before. I was driving to work after a pretty nasty storm and passed 5 vehicles in ditches. Every last one of 'em was 4 wheel drive. While I'm sure some of the drivers of those vehicles think they could do figure 8s on a skating rink at 50 mph, I think the major problem is that you don't get much minor sliding so you don't realise just how slippery the road is until you lose it completely.

And then there are the jokers in the rear wheel (or front wheel) drive cars who assume a sportscar isn't going to have any better traction than their car and decide I'm going to slow, so the jerks tailgate me. (It's all-wheel drive, but THEY don't know that.) Some times I slow down more, sometimes I just tap the break lights. If I'm in a really bad mood, I'll speed up just a teensy bit and watch them back off when they start going 'whoopsie' around a curve, then I slow back down.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: EBarnacle
Date: 09 Dec 03 - 01:24 AM

As a long time fan of front wheel drive [I used to drive competitively for SAAB.], I have frequently stated that 4 wheel drive is a dangerous thing for those who don't really need it. It encourages people to drive when they should stay home. If front wheel drive won't get me where I'm goin', I ain't goin. It took me 7 hours to get from Brooklyn to Lady Hillary's place in North Jersey on Friday. When we measured, we had 19 inches [of snow].

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Hrothgar
Date: 09 Dec 03 - 05:36 AM

Doesn't snow in Queensland.

:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: annamill
Date: 09 Dec 03 - 09:07 AM

We here in New Jersey got a good portion of snow. I don't know how much exactly, but theres still a good 7 inches on the ground. Honey just recently became a Monmouth County Park Ranger and he was loving it until they called him in to shovel snow on Saturday and Sunday at 7am. He came home Sunday evening about 5:30pm, looking like a cold whipped puppy and asked, very quietly, just

WHEN'RE WE GOIN' TO CALIFORNIA??

"Soon, baby, soon"

Love, Annamill

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Jeri
Date: 09 Dec 03 - 09:31 AM

EBarnacle, I love 4-wheel drive, but then I like to think I'm a sensible driver. You just go slow until you gauge the conditions no matter what type of vehicle you have. I'd guess at least some of the people who are dangerous with 4-wheel drive might be even more dangerous in some other vehicle. There were 5 people who only ended up in a ditch that day. Who can say whether it might have been worse or better if they'd had front wheel drive cars?

This morning I got up and wished I had a digital camera. The back yard was pristine sparkly snow which had drifted into a sculptured landscape, and the low morning sun cast pinkish highlights and grey-blue shadows on the dunes and the pattern of deer tracks quilting all that white. Just gorgeous!

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Midchuck
Date: 09 Dec 03 - 09:52 AM

Unfortunately, front-wheel drive cars don't do donuts so well

If the hand break is on the rear wheels, you can make one spin like a top if you want to. Of course, now that I'm old and pompous, I consider such behavior foolish in the extreme...most of the time.

Peter.

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Amos
Date: 09 Dec 03 - 03:48 PM

This morning I bundled up warm in a sports jacket, light sweater and shirt. By the time I got to the office I took the jacket off. By noon the sweater was making me awful warm, so I took that off, too. It really is shirt-sleeve weather now, here in San Diego, but I am sure it will be chilly tomorrow AM and I'll have to put my sports coat back on...

A

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 09 Dec 03 - 04:59 PM

If you like, Amos, I'll mail you Brett's battered snow shovel. It may help you empathize with those of us in the snow lands. Brett probably felt he wouldn't be needed it in Guam.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Amos
Date: 09 Dec 03 - 05:32 PM

Aww, thanks, man -- but I woudln't want to put you out, and I am sure therem is some needy homeowner there in Cold Mountain who needs it much more than I!! :>)

A

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Peace
Date: 09 Dec 03 - 09:00 PM

What's a shovel?

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 09 Dec 03 - 09:19 PM

I saw the same line of 4X4 's all over the sides of the road one Christmas eve ICE STORM> just north of Torington Ct . The part of the puzle some dont get is not getting going but stopping. A great concept !! All that mass and no way to stop it .In thoughs situations I go pritty briskley UP^ hill and then like a turtle going down .
    THe plow took out my mail box but I dug a hole and put it back in the snow pile next to the road. Now if the snow dosnt melt Im set for the winter. Thats going with the flow! All the best , Guy

Subject: RE: BS: Where Were You Stranded in the Storm?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 09 Dec 03 - 09:41 PM

"Doesn't snow in Queensland."

But I would like to thank the US Military for building those wonderful snow proof concrete highways here during WWII... :-0


"front-wheel drive cars don't do donuts so well"

AH my motorsport motorkhana days - drop pressure slightly in brand new front tyres, pump up high pressure on bald rear tyres, use handbrake to make 180's

- use gas pedal to steer thru corner - more power to go straight, back off to turn in... ah - sorry, I'm older now...

In rear wheel cars it's the other way round - over vs under steer, you see.

In my heyday, the Mini Cooper S's used to be able to outhandle the big Fords and Holdens, especially in the wet, - until they beefed them up to 5 litre engines - when you only have 1 litre on board, there is no real substitute for Horse Power... front wheel drive not withstanding...

Robin


Robin