saturday morning

 

It's Saturday morning. The part of me that is awake and functional is celebrating that fact. The other part will no doubt catch up, after downing more coffee,as needed.

Looking out toward Bear Mountain, I can see that even in this early morning darkness it's shrouded in a light fog. Our street is clear of fog.

I have a half dozen non important things to do and check off of my 'to do list today. I need to paint the hallway baseboards and do some minor touch up. There are more pics to insert into our 2013 family album. I'm almost finished reading a fascinating book and want to begin a previous book along same topic, by the same author.

Stopping in at Big Lots last evening, after dashing into Pet Smart, I picked up tension rods, draperies (whose back ground is the same dark shade of gray as the hallway) that will look perfect in the foyer/hallway closet-- with a Mad Men retro vibe of the 60's. (solid background w/ circular designs). And, two rag rugs that are neutral in color (taupes/beiges) and are made outta, what feels like re-purposed rubber and that are very cool. Also, for the interior floor of the closets. And, I still have a ton of journal writing to catch up on...

                                                                 The Rat Pack in Concert

Before I get to all of the above it's time for coffee and watching Blue Bloods on our DVR and hanging out w/ Jeff before he toddles off to work this morning.

Eye of the Storm w/pics

Snowmageddon: Winter storm causes havoc in Mother Lode
The Union Democrat
Wednesday, February 20, 2013


The storm — which struck about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday — dropped 3 inches of snow on downtown Sonora within hours.

The effect was to bring traffic to a standstill along Washington Street, Mono Way, Stockton Road and other surface streets as unprepared motorists froze up or slid along.

California Highway Patrol officials said Tuesday afternoon that dozens of cars were either stuck in the snow or involved in accidents. Lt. Scott Clamp said somewhere between 50 to 75 vehicles either became stranded or were in collisions on Highway 49 and other nearby roadways.

The storm dumped snow at elevations far lower than the 2,400 feet forecast by the National Weather Service. Snow fell as low as La Grange and Copperopolis, and created blizzard-like conditions at higher reaches.

Twain Harte received 9 inches of snow, while Dodge Ridge Ski Area received over 3 feet just by last afternoon at its peak.

About 17 weather-related accidents were reported in Tuolumne County at the height of the storm around 4:30 p.m. There were 11 reported in Calaveras County.

Up to 100 cars were caught up in a collision and pile-up at Highway 49 and Rawhide Road near Tuttletown, CHP reported.

On Highway 4 in Calaveras County, a 13,000-pound armored transport vehicle lost control and crashed near Forest Meadows Drive, causing a 30-car pileup.

The latter accident, compounded by continuing snowfall, halted bus service at Avery Middle School, stranding many children at the school until their parents could pick them up.

As of 6:30 p.m., a handful remained at the school, playing games to bide their time.

Sonora Elementary School canceled bus service Tuesday on Lyons Bald Mountain Road and had parents pick up their children at school.

Several schools remained closed today, including Belleview, Columbia, Curtis Creek, Long Barn, Sonora Elementary, Sonora High, Summerville High and Bret Harte High.

The storm knocked out electric service to many PG&E customers in Columbia, Jamestown, Murphys and Sonora.

In Sonora, six different outages affected up to 500 customers, according to PG&E. All hit about 4:30 p.m. Five were caused by downed power lines and the cause was unknown for the sixth. All customers were expected to get power back this morning.

In Angels Camp, a single outage affected up to 500 customers.The cause was undetermined and power was not expected to be restored until 8 a.m.

Outages affecting possibly hundreds of PG&E customers were reported in Murphys and Mountain Ranch. Power was expected to be restored by 8 and 10 a.m. respectively.

Today through Friday, expect a complete weather about face, with clear skies and daytime high temperatures in the high 40s and low 50s.

 

Apocalypse Now!

It's so GOOD to be home! Leaving work at a pre-scheduled early time to attend Landie's Hero Kindness Award Ceremony found me in the midst of disaster, literally. The forecasted storm arrived in Sonora at 2:30 pm, by the time I reached Washington street, the snow was falling in the size of dollar bills, like someone was  in a crazed frenzy to empty a suitcase, and just dumping it out, from above. A deluge. Falling fast and covering everything quickly.

 

 

At 3:00 pm: 

By the time I reached Shaws Flat, Maryanne, broadcasting live on Star 92.7, was announcing a 50-75 car pile up at 49 and Rawhide. I was stopped between Shaws Flat and Mt. Brow Rd. Turns out the pile up occured at Mt. Brow Rd. 49 looked like a parking lot, hundreds of cars lined the right side of the road, clogging 49. We were at a standstill. The road ahead was blocked. And, we couldn't turn around (at that point). Jeff was in Angels at work waiting for me to swing by and pick him up to attend the ceremony. Sam and Amanda were having their taxes done in Vallecito and were planning on meeting up with us for dinner before the late afternoon ceremony.

 

Aims called my cell phone to tell me they were stuck in traffic and couldn't move because of the snow and accidents occuring around them. She would call Bret Harte to see if they were canceling the event and would call me back.

 

3:36 pm 

Maryanne announcing:

Traffic Update...In a Word...Don't!!! Don't be on the roads, if you don't have to!

Amador, Calaveras & Tuolumne Traffic Updates...Too many for details just the high points for now. In Amador: Injury accident on Ridge Road, Injury Accident on 88 and Meadow, Accident on 88 and Sugar Loaf, Injury Accident on 88 and Irishtown. In Calaveras: Hazard at 49 and Deer Creek, Accident on Mountain Ranch and Rocky Road, Hazard at Hwy 4 and Stallion, Hwy 4 and Main, Hwy 26 and Red Corral and a Hazard on Hwy 4 and Forest Meadows. In Tuolumne: Hazard on Rawhide, Accident on Rawhide and Shell, Accident on Campo Seco and Campbell Flat, Accident on Fuller and Mark Twain and Parrotts Ferry and Parrotts Ferry.

 

 

 At 3:44 pm:

Maryanne announcing:

The Kindness Hero Night Angels Camp City Council Meeting to be rescheduled as both the City and Mark Twain Elementary School staff have agreed to postpone the City Council Meeting/Kindness Hero Night for safety due to the weather. A new date/time has not been set yet.

 

Aims called back to tell me it had been cancelled. I told her I had just heard that on the radio. She asked where I was. I told her I was still in the same spot, though had moved slowly a few car lengths ahead of where I was. No one was moving. I decided to take pictures- it wasn't like I was going anywhere.

 

 

Below are some newspaper photos of the scene:

There were multi-vehicle accidents occuring in different Mother Lode directions simultaneously.

 

At 3:53 pm 

Maryanne announcing:  

Traffic Update...Hwy 49 Blocked by School Bus Just South of Angels.

Angels Camp, CA...A school bus is blocking Hwy 49 just south of Angels Camp in the narrow undulating section. This one may take awhile to get removed. If you have to get to Sonora Hwy 4 to Red Hill or Parrotts Ferry is your best bet for the next hour or so... Great, my thought was, even if I could make it without chains, and that was a HUGE if, to Jack Ass Gulch, the ride was going to be trecherous, at best. Meanwhile, Jeff, Aims and I were cell phoning each other on and off w/ updates.

 

4:41 pm

Maryanne announcing: 

Traffic Update...Over 30 Active Incidents and Accidents.

Calaveras County, CA...The local roads are a mess and clogged and blocked with vehicles in most areas. Hwy 4 at Forest Meadows there is still a multi-vehicle accident involving a armored car and other vehicles. Buses are stuck and the ones that weren't are heading back down the hill and parents will need to pick up their children at Bret Harte. There are literally too many to list at this time there are 22 active incidents in the Tuolumne County Area and 15 in Amador and Calaveras. Columbia College Night Classes have been canceled. Jeff called. Star, my nurse practitioner, called with Saturday's test results and because we're also friends, stayed on the phone with me talking about this storm, etc. Aims called to say they were "finally" on the move and were on their way to pick up Landie. I called Jeff and told him to stop waiting at the station and just walk over to his mom's house, across the street. I would be there as soon as I could, somehow. The cars on my end were at a dead standstill. No one moving. The only occasional movement from oncoming traffic seemed to be flowing from Rawhide Rd. A teenager, got out of his vehicle, somewhere behind me and began walking towards me, towards the pile up, somewhere ahead. He was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, walking in 4 inches of snow, following the fading tire tracks in the opposite lane. He stopped on his way back to tell me a truck was on it's side as well as other vehicles (today we learned the exact number of vehicles were 30). He said it was a disaster. Aims called to tell me that they had just closed Mt. Brow Rd. This was confirmed a few minutes later by Maryanne.

 

Well, this was a fine pickle. I got out of the jeep and walked about a 100 ft. ahead where several people were gathered together talking. Turns out we all know one another. A couple from Angels, A librarian from Angels, my former occupational therapist, etc.

 

The prevailing opinion was that even if the road ahead were open, it would be foolhardy, at best, to even attempt to reach Jack Ass Gulch without chains and none of us had any. That left turning around. The snow was up to the center of my jeep. This was going to be tricky. But, I had no options.

 

Meanwhile, Dave was calling me. Erin was texting. Aims and Jeff were calling alternately.

I couldn't go to Dave and Erin's in Sonora Meadows without chains. I couldn't reach Angels Camp, no matter what route I chose. Aims and Sammy implored me to turn around and drive to Copper.

 

So, after one failed attempt at turning around and getting temporarily stuck, after waiting awhile, I was able to do it. That was the easy part.

 

Once turned around, I had huge brick-sized ice chunks, plus 4-6 inches of snow to combat, along with pedestrians walking in the center of the road, then cars sliding towards me at the Columbia stop light. Then I was dodging abandoned vehicles littering the roadway on both sides, trees falling in front of me. I was going about 5 mph. Police were out and directing traffic. It was now well after 6pm and it was DARK.

 

Reaching the Sonora Inn, I decided to turn onto Stockton Rd, which was good, as Maryann was announcing that they had just closed Restano/Sanguinetti-- my only other option to reach Copper.

 

I felt like the Titanic sailing through a sea of ice burgs. I've never seen anything like it. I finally made it to Lime Kiln and that accident scene had been cleared. Nearing Jamestown near the old Rawhide saloon, there were several CHP SUV's parked together, in the center of the road. They were closing Mono Way. Greenley had long since been closed.

 

O'Brynes was dangerously slick and after crossing the ferry bridge, fog began to swirl around me. Seriously? What else? Well, as I reached Little John Rd., the skies opened and it began to pour down rain-- as predicted.

 

Arriving at Sammy and Amanda's (around 7 pm) was a relief, to say the least... Sammy had a Bloody Mary (w/ 2 straws) waiting for me when I arrived. Aims had a plush bath towel waiting for me in the guest bathroom, along w/ a wonderfully warm pair of flannel pj's and a

t-shirt to change into. Sam had cheffed up a delicious shrimp fettuccine for dinner. Landie served up strawberry ice cream for dessert.

 

Whew! What an exhausting commute. I made it to Copper without being in a wreck.  And it only took me 4 1/2 hours. (Normally, a 30 minute drive). The only mishap was slipping and falling in the snow while walking back to the jeep before getting in, and turning the jeep back towards Sonora, hurting my lower back.

 

For those who chose NOT to turn around towards Sonora their wait was 6 hours.

 

Sunday musings

I woke the first time while it was still dark outside and could hear fragments of Law & Order conversations coming from the den... Jeff was up and then I heard the comforting sound of the kitchen coffee grinder and drifted back off to sleep.

The second time I woke was to the aroma of something I couldn't identify. I woke inhaling deeply and still couldn't identify what it was. Opening my eyes, I saw Anna Chan staring intently at my face  only inches away. Gracie, too, was next to Anna, watching me. Apparently, I had slept in and they were eager to begin their day. C'mon girls, I invited, as I opened the master bedroom door. Walking down the hallway, it hit me... the aroma was homemade turkey soup. Jeff was simmering turkey stock.

From the hallway, I ventured outdoors, to feed the outdoor gang who were lined up in a row waiting patiently for their breakfast. Then it was on to the indoor gang and their breakfast. And, finally, a cup of freshly brewed French roast for me. Ahhhh.

It's a bit of a crunchy-cold morning w/ frost on the lawn. Jeff is looking very cute (I don't know if he would use that term) going about the house in Eskimo mode w/ a sweat jacket/hoodie zipped-up and a sleeveless fleece vest over the jacket. Anyway, it's an interesting look. We've had a morning of coffee and great conversation. Jeff has next Saturday off, yay (!) and we will begin painting, starting with the foyer/L-shaped hallway and interior closet space/shelves. Now that the doors are off it really opens up the hallway nicely. Will begin to look at drapery tension rods and draperies for the closets that line an entire wall. It's a start. This house project should take up most of the spring months so that we can enjoy the house during the hot summer months, instead of painting, during the hot summer months, which is usually my modus operandi.

Jeff worked yesterday while I puttered about the house doing various things. When he arrived home we chatted away like, two magpies on speed, catching up w/ one another. It was a day of a lot of family news happenings, etc. Jeff made burgers while I watched Woody Allen's Manhattan.

Today is going to be very kicked back... and hopefully, creative. Jeff has promised biscuits and gravy for our Sunday brunch. I think Jeff is in writing mode while I will be continuing on w/ the process of color enhansement on our Shutterfly albums, making progress, slowly.

Whatever you do today, Enjoy! But, first... some Sunday morning jazz.

                                                                                        I Can't Get Started