Blizzard!!

 

 

I texted this pic to my sisters, Laur and Cher, the day of the blizzard, whatever day that might have been.

"Help!  I'm in hell!"  I believe I might have inserted some f-bombs in that sentence, as well, but, since this is a 'family blog', I left them out.

 

 

 

My wipers worked double time to erase the large, fast falling flakes, building up beneath them.  I thought that the beauty of such a driving snow storm in Tucson, is, that it does not accumulate on the road surface...but, by the time I was about a mile from home, I noticed that, indeed, it was getting a bit deep on the surface streets!

At Drexel and Houghton, just over a mile from our house, I saw the first accident.  Three cars, having slid right into the other.  The next, was just a half mile up, where a pick up truck sat in the middle of the road, and two other cars were pretzeled together.  A few blocks up, two cars had careened into the drainage ditch on the east side of the street.  They were smallish cars, and the amusement came from watching them spin their wheels, in a futile attempt to free themselves from the abyss.  Obviously their very first time stuck in the snow!  Spinning tires, shooting snow and gravel harmlessly into the air, gaining zero traction and making up no ground.  They'd have to wait for a push.

 

 

I made it home, with minor rear-end slippage.  I had forgotten how loose the rear end of a pick up truck is in the snow, having very little weight over those rear tires.  However, I regained my snow driving abilities honed in Pennsylvania and Colorado and even hit the accelerator as I head east on Valencia to encourage a bit of a tail spin.

 

 

Looking west down our street...

 

 

And across the street at the park...an invariable winter wonderland!

 

                 Tonio was sick.  He began the week with a 99 degree temp, going to 100 Tuesday.  I brought him to work.  He sat, stoic, invisible, in a comfy chair, watching 'Natcho Libre' (arguably the greatest movie ever made), "The Crocodile Hunter" and "Aladdin" - I'd love to be able to leap across roof tops like that dude.  But, like the loving father I am, I allowed him a brief respite into the snowy abyss.  He promptly made a large snow ball, encased it in a gallon sized Ziploc baggie, dated it and stashed it away in our freezer for a sunny day...

 

Cody was my favorite.  He got out there, as soon as school let out, with Bella.

 

He tossed snowball after snowball, tirelessly.  Bella fielded each and every throw, enjoying it as much as Cody.  Maybe more.  She is a snow dog!

 

Bella (left), waits anxiously for Aut and Tonio to throw snow balls to her!

 

 

Whoa!  White stuff!  What is it?  I suddenly forgot how to drive!! LOOK OUT!!!

 

Aut built a small snowman...Bella stalked it's carrot nose...

 

 

Bella loved the snow.  She was in.  Then out.  Then in, looking for bambini support - "Hey!  Come outside!  There is slippery white stuff!"  And, sure enough, she'd come running toward the porch, hit the bricks and slide like Pete Rose into second base!!!

 

The olive tree was truly burdened and the nitcho looked Heavenly in the snowfall.

 

Bella waits at the bottom of the snow covered sliding board for Tonio to come down...

 

 

At Aut's school, Desert Sky Middle School.

 

The wind.  The wind was blowing hard to the east...these Saguaro's were plastered.  Road signs were rendered invisible...and the February blizzard held sway over all...