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Post by Chesapeake on Jan 2, 2011 13:41:25 GMT -5
Every winter, we who live in The Nation's Capital hear other people crow about how we have no idea how to handle a few snowflakes. We heard it again from Obama when he moved in. People, it's a myth. It snows here every year. We're used to it. Last year it was Biblical, and somehow we got through. Now, here are some people who don't know how to handle snow: www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/winter/2010-12-31-fargo-wreck_N.htm |
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Post by RickW on Jan 2, 2011 15:10:14 GMT -5
I'd be thinking Fargo would be able to handle just about anything. But that looked pretty nasty.
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Post by Village Idiot on Jan 2, 2011 16:31:54 GMT -5
I'm sure those Dakotans drove artfully in the storm until just one car screwed up, but it seems they have forgotten the first rule of winter driving. If it's that bad out, don't go anywhere.
By the way, I love German in that is has nouns that would take English several words to describe. There is no English equivalent, for example, for Schadenfreude. Or Zeitgeist, or a host of others.
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Post by Chesapeake on Jan 2, 2011 17:56:30 GMT -5
It doesn't take a nuclear scientist to avoid rear-ending somebody in a snowstorm. You just don't drive any faster than you can see ahead in time to stop. Of course, almost nobody does that, and those that do risk being rear-ended by the idiots who think they know how to drive in snow. Which brings us back to Village's first rule.
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Post by billhammond on Jan 2, 2011 18:14:03 GMT -5
It doesn't take a nuclear scientist to avoid rear-ending somebody in a snowstorm. You just don't drive any faster than you can see ahead in time to stop. Of course, almost nobody does that, and those that do risk being rear-ended by the idiots who think they know how to drive in snow. Which brings us back to Village's first rule. Unless you have driven in the whiteout blizzard conditions of the northern prairie, I wonder if you can truly appreciate how things on a freeway can go from OK, to one-lane, to losing sight of the road entirely, to being grabbed by drifted snow and brought to a halt or a big slowdown in a hurry. I honestly doubt that this pileup was caused by bad driving. I think it was caused by a rapidly developing blizzard. |
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Post by Doug on Jan 2, 2011 18:17:13 GMT -5
I agree with Bill.
My experience in those conditions is that it's OK then it's not and you are still 50 miles from anywhere.
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Post by Chesapeake on Jan 2, 2011 18:21:58 GMT -5
Bill: Of course that's possible. I did get into the middle of such a storm a few years back in New Hampshire, and I'll admit it was a hair-raising experience. I could hardly figure out where the road was. I just crept along until it lightened up a bit. Luckily everybody else was doing the same. What is aggravating is when people clearly drive too fast for the conditions, which I see a fair amount of in New England. Such a shock when the traffic reports of crashes start coming in.
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Post by billhammond on Jan 2, 2011 18:32:05 GMT -5
Bill: Of course that's possible. I did get into the middle of such a storm a few years back in New Hampshire, and I'll admit it was a hair-raising experience. I could hardly figure out where the road was. I just crept along until it lightened up a bit. Luckily everybody else was doing the same. What is aggravating is when people clearly drive too fast for the conditions, which I see a fair amount of in New England. Such a shock when the traffic reports of crashes start coming in. The aggravating factor here is that these Alberta Clippers come roaring across the border, and there are these vast expanses of open, flat land, so when the wind whips up the snow, Katie bar the door. |
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Post by Chesapeake on Jan 2, 2011 18:35:13 GMT -5
Sounds exciting and dangerous at the same time.
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Post by dradtke on Jan 2, 2011 19:16:22 GMT -5
to the tune of If You're Gonna Play in Texas
If You're Gonna Play in Fargo
You've gotta have a shovel in the van
Three feet of snow is deep but not to a Minnesota man
So grab those jumper cables, the tow rope and the sand
If your gonna play in Fargo
You've gotta have a shovel in the van
I remember out in Minot we were putting on a show
When a farmer in the back said, "Uf Dah! Look at it snow"!
We don't care for your music but play another song
Cause it looks like we'll be snowed in all night long
So we took off our galoshes put our ear muffs on real straight
Said. "Do you know the beer barrel polka"?
"Oh Yah" "I s'pose" "You bet"!
You say you like to schottisch and you like those waltzes too
Well here's a snow shoe two step just for you
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Post by mnhermit on Jan 2, 2011 21:25:42 GMT -5
Part of the problem was the freezing rain that preceded the snow, like driving on marbles. From the story it seems about 160 miles of I94 was closed for over a day. Glad I decided not to head west last week.
dradtke are those your words?
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Post by billhammond on Jan 2, 2011 21:33:18 GMT -5
Speaking of the Cruelty of Winter, the Family von Hammond had a little scare tonight when at 7 p.m. I got a call at the open mike from Yungerdottir that power to a big part of our neighborhood had gone out. I was able to direct her to a flashlight and candles, and Elderdottir and I motored home around 7:30, but the timing for such an outage was bad, as they had to pack for a 5:15 departure from the house tomoro morning to catch their 6:55 flight to Carolina.
As we did what we could and stewed over depleted cell phones and falling temps, already in the teens, the power came back after only about 70 minutes of being out.
Times like that do make you appreciate Modern Life, though. Hoo boy.
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Post by RickW on Jan 2, 2011 21:53:44 GMT -5
It do, Bill. We used to have a gas fireplace in our first place. It was great, 'cause if the power went out, it was still warm.
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Post by billhammond on Jan 2, 2011 22:02:48 GMT -5
It do, Bill. We used to have a gas fireplace in our first place. It was great, 'cause if the power went out, it was still warm. There is a fireplace in the basement of my domicile, amid all the shag-carpeted splendor, but I have not used it in years, and I would be loath to do so until the chimney is inspected. I wudda had to head out in deep snow to the back-yard brush pile to get firewood, too. SO glad this all worked out. Another fun little memory for me and my dearie daughters, in the grand view...  |
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Post by Lonnie on Jan 2, 2011 22:20:33 GMT -5
Glad you're up and running, again, Mr. Hammond.
Nice OM tonight, sorry I didn't get there in time for your tunes. Go Packers!
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Post by billhammond on Jan 2, 2011 22:24:34 GMT -5
Glad you're up and running, again, Mr. Hammond. Nice OM tonight, sorry I didn't get there in time for your tunes. Yeah, me, too. I was positively transcendent tonight. Standing ovation. BOTH of them! p.s. I played a OOO, not an OM, tonight. |
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Post by dradtke on Jan 3, 2011 1:04:53 GMT -5
No, not my words. But times like this I figure I should learn it.
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Post by Lonnie on Jan 3, 2011 1:59:40 GMT -5
p.s. I played a OOO, not an OM, tonight. OM being an acronym for Open Mic, not the gauge of shotgun you were peppering the audience with. Speaking of, is the singular form of audience audient? ;D |
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Post by Doug on Jan 3, 2011 6:48:14 GMT -5
p.s. I played a OOO, not an OM, tonight. OM being an acronym for Open Mic, not the gauge of shotgun you were peppering the audience with. Speaking of, is the singular form of audience audient? ;D Singular of audience is bartender. I've played that gig before. ;D |
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Post by Lonnie on Jan 3, 2011 9:16:48 GMT -5
OM being an acronym for Open Mic, not the gauge of shotgun you were peppering the audience with. Speaking of, is the singular form of audience audient? ;D Singular of audience is bartender. I've played that gig before. ;D Thank you, ladies and germs... try the clam dip, I'll be here all week! Good 'un, Doug!! |
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