Hank, I refrained from that response! I did some work for the Administration after Katrina. On that, I'm not joking. I figure a broken 2 x 4 and $14 worth of bird netting would be worth at least $20,000 in assistance from FEMA, but I really didn't want to make that public. On this, I'm joking, folks . . . ! My report, and it was a scathing one, was that FEMA wasn't prepared and is essentially non-functional. On this, I'm not joking.
Well, if you can make it up to Canada, I've got a collection of 18 bottles of domestic vodka I've brought back from Moscow. Some does taste like it could originally have been Mig-25 de-icing fluid. I don't usually touch the stuff myself, the last time being during a party when one of my staff introduced me to her husband who had just returned from Rome with his hand swaddled in bandages because of a little problem with a grenade. No, I didn't want to know and so I didn't ask, but he did work for the Russian Gov't.
Pete and all - I hope I haven't accidently offended those affected by this or any other disaster by making light of their dilema. My apologies and heartfelt concern for my fellow model railroaders is my message from the 'tepid temperatured' province on the north side of the Great Lakes.
No! This is just a big, historic snowstorm. So far, no one has died, which is a bit unusual for New Mexico. I'm joking . . . The sun is out, the snow will melt. We're having fun! Well, we just ran out of wine here, so it's on to the hard stuff. . . Just joking! We are a lot snowbound here. But my son-in-law's monster truck is available. I think that everyone here in NM is taking this as just one of those historic moments, with tales to amuse your grandkids. I'm not sure the truckers are quite so sanguine, but this happens, one every 30 years or so.
New Year's Eve events in Scotland and northern England were cancelled due to high winds and heavy rain. But London had a big firework display which looked superb on the tv, must have been awesome to those attending. To me, it looked better than the Sydney display.
I saw a Black and White pic of the display in Sydney in the paper. What is with the giant clothes hanger ? Can anyone explain ?
Well here in the suburbs of the Nations Capital its still a balmy 50 degrees, and raining again. Unusual year because by now we have had at least one light snow, or maybe the dreaded freezing rain and ice that makes this area of non driving Beamer and SUV owners look like the bumper car ride at the carnival. However winters not over here yet and I'm just waiting for one of those midwest or southwest storms to take an end run down south and come up the coast to collide with a Canadian/Artic cold front working south. Then the fun begins. The Fed can never make any timely decision on whether to tell folks to stay home, or when to start sending them home. The result is clogged roads that the plows and other equipment can not pass because of all the carnage. Of course that is further compounded by all the TV blowhards who step outside, glance at the sky, then flip a quarter to call the forecast. So does this mean that my order from WigWag is coming part of the way by dogsled? Now calling Langly and over to Homeland to see if we can get a ski equipped Otter to rush in a supply of beer and chips, and some puppy chow for the sled teams.
Ran out of the hard stuff last night. I just shoveled a driveway for the first time in 30 years. My, that's hard work! Actually, we're returning the grandchild to her proper owners after an overnight, and there were a few ridges left by the monster truck. Still, it was hard work!
I was in high school when the 1997 April fool's blizzard came. Up in Massachusetts, we received 48" inches with drifs up to 20' high. My best friend and I were not paying attention to the radio and decided to go to school. It wasn't as dumb as it souns because we routeenly had school when there was 18" of snow (it was a little Catholic school). Our school sat on the Northern slope of one of the Worcester County hills. These are about 1000' high and featured deep valleys. We drove up in my lifted 92' Explorer Sport. It took about an hour, but we stopped for coffee on the way. When we finally arrived, the first floor was entirly burried in a snow drift 10' tall. Needless to say school was canciled.
Dusting in Boston My family got a white Christmas. We celebrated Saturday (Dec 30th) as a light dusting blanketed the area making it very warm and romantic for Roberta (Rrrr), and me sharing our first Christmas together. All gone in time for "First Night" in Boston and today a light misty rain falls. The most important N Scale railroading thing to occure: Rrrr nocked a couple of cars off the table. A favortie box car (CP bright red with multi mark), ended up in 6 pieces. Top and bottom Two trucks Two king pins To you and me it is no big deal. She was devestated. She brought them to me cupped in her hand like it was an injured kitten with the saddest expression. My main concern was for the way she felt. I shucked my coat, rolled up my sleeves, closed my eyes and with them closed assembled the box car with her passing me the parts as I requested them. Put my coat on and we left for breakfast. Life is good.
This was the strangest storm I've ever seen here. No wind at all with it just snow. The space under our show trailer (which we just dug out -- took 2 hours and three people to move it 45 feet so we could hitch it up to the truck) had not a single flake of snow but I had to shovel a path 8'wide and 45' long 18-20 inches deep to get the trailer out to the truck. At one time when this was happening on Friday afternoon I looked at the weather report and our wind was out of the east at 1mph. Albuquerque has a 5000ft ridge of mountains to the east so with weather naturally traveling west to east here any wind from the east meant the system was not moving. And it didn't!
Me too. I currently reside just outside Baltimore and have been contracted to Freddie Mac in Reston.... Usually takes 1.5 hours coming in other days 2, going home is worse I've been in my car 4 hours straight once...I can bank on 2. If I wanted that kind of confinement I should have just became a fighter pilot...at least I wouldn't have to worry about traffic . I'm loathing the day it snows and I'm here in Reston. All aside I could love for some snow...get holed up in my apartment with internet and my trains, maybe one of my attractive lady friends, and I am a happy camper (I'm already stocked with beer and chow!). Nothing of significance. Just 216 on the "real" old main out of Ellicott City headed north. Thats the first time I've seen a train go northbound on the EC Main. Rumor has it that CSX is realigning to make it doubletrack through there to points West.
The Houston area is always a real mess when it snows. The locals feel they should still be able to drive like they normally do and end up crashing into guard rails, trees, each other and other obstacles or just into a ditch. When I was going to the University of Houston in 1973, we had a very rare 5 inch snow. The interstate freeway that a friend and I used to car pool to and from school was closed. However we managed to get there using surface roads and streets. Class was not canceled at the university like most public schools were and most people showed up for class. Very strange. Was a winter wonderland outside with the snow still falling when my calculus professor looked out the window and mumbled, "Next year I am moving south."
We don't have to deal with snow in South Florida. We only have to deal with hurricanes, terrorists, alligators and "hanging chads". Jupiter is also the spring training home of the world champion St. Louis Cardinals. Stay cool and run steam.......
It's just a recent 4 x 4 Ford 250 with the hugest cab, longest bed and a very high suspension option with huge tires. 6300 pounds. We got out yesterday without too much of a problem in Jeanne's Altima. I got out this morning with a few problems in a rear-drive Dodge Magnum. The major streets are plowed, but very few of the side streets. A different monster truck put a small ding in my front fender during the first snowstorm, so I was going to Allstate. This was the type of ding I used to fix myself with a ball peen hammer and can of bondo. $750! At least I'm not paying for it. The eastern part of the state had up to 50 inches of snow, and 20-foot drifts. The highways are open, but a lot of ranchers are still stranded. And they just plowed my street!
