Friday, February 4, 2011

Snowed in






Ah, the blizzard of 2011... Also known as ground hog dump day, snowpocalypse, snowmageddon... Whatever you want to call it, it dumped around 12-30 inches into our driveway, depending on where we measured.


 On the eve of the storm, they already cancelled work for the the next day.  We celebrated with some good ol blizzard comfort food - homemade pot pie.

Overnight, the house was pounded with snow, ice and wind.  We had a brief period of snow lightening/thunder.  I was so happy our power didn't go out.

In the morning, I made apple cheesecake stuffed french toast.  I also splurged on some decaf coffee!

 I spent most of the day snuggling with Ellie.  Scott stayed home, but he worked way too hard.


Then we ventured outside...










Think we're crazy for going outside?  No way.  My Dad tops this.  He tried to drive to work in the morning but couldn't get out of the driveway. You would think that would stop most people, but not him. He decided to show shoe to work instead.  Local media caught wind of it and he ended up in the paper.

http://www.mlive.com/southwestadvance/index.ssf/2011/02/blizzard_cant_keep_wyoming_bui.html


Robert Bailey hates it when people have to cancel appointments after they’ve made them. So when a major snowstorm struck on a day the Wyoming building inspector had set up a meeting with homeowners, he didn’t call to cancel.
He strapped on a pair of snowshoes and stepped out into the swirling snow.

At 7 a.m. last Wednesday, snowshoeing along side streets, Burlingame Avenue and 28th Street, Bailey made a 1.8-mile trek from his house to City Hall.

From there, he was able to get into a city truck and drive to see the Wyoming homeowners about a residential building project. Luckily, he said, they lived on a major thoroughfare.

“They appeared a little bit surprised” when he showed up, he said.

On his walk to work, Bailey saw many cars stranded at intersections, and lots of people with four-wheel-drive vehicles trying to help the stuck drivers. It took him about 40 minutes to get to City Hall, he said.

When he got to work, his co-workers who had made it in seemed surprised to see him in snowshoes. He was a little puzzled by their reaction, since he didn’t think there was anything unusual about it.

“I assumed there would be a lot of people out with snowshoes,” he said.

And while he hadn’t wanted to cancel his appointment, his reason for snowshoeing to work was also partly financial.

“If you don’t show up, you don’t get paid, so my motivation was somewhat monetary,” he said.

Bailey worked for the City of Wyoming in the same job from 1975 to 1980, and last week wasn’t the first time he braved the elements to get to work. During the 1978 blizzard that brought West Michigan to a standstill, he walked all the way to work only to find out he could have stayed home.

“I didn’t have snowshoes then,” he said. “When I got to City Hall, they told me ‘We’re closed, you can go home.’”

Bailey said he and his wife, Bobbi, enjoy recreational snowshoeing and often take part in the sport on pleasant winter days.

But they don’t often go out in the middle of a blizzard, he said.

[title-raw]

2 comments:

  1. a.) I love those pics of Ellie in the snow.
    b.) Your dad is hilarious.

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  2. I just found your Bi-Level blog and I am smiling from ear-to-ear. This entry is so amazing. Ellie is the cutest "snow bunny" ever and your Dad is the coolest...literally! Thanks so much for sharing your life and times in pics and clever commentary.

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