Blizzard Ends Birthday Weekend with a Bang!

Once again, N. and I beat the storm by a small margin.

Today, we had gone into to town to meet a friend and see Temples and Tombs, an exhibit if ancient Egyptian artifacts on loan from the British Museum to the Albuquerque Museum.

As we were enjoying enchiladas at the Church Street Cafe in Old Town, Bruce called to say that the rain in Albuquerque was slushy stuff at home. We finished with some dispatch, took our friend home and then hit the pet store. It was crowded and we had to wait a few minutes to get crickets for N.'s fire-bellied toads. Bruce called again. The barometer was dropping ominously, and the temperature was dropping as well.

As we were leaving the grocery store, Bruce called once again. It was the dreaded start-home-now-or-regret-it call. I was already merging onto I-40 eastbound as N. took the call.

It was raining in the canyon, and the wind was picking up. By Tijeras, the temperature was 39 degrees and I needed the defroster on. Three miles east and uphill, the temperature was 37 and the ice-warning on the truck thermometer was flashing. The rain had turned to slush coming from the sky.

As we climbed Sedillo hill from Zuxax, it seemed the temperature dropped a degree every thousand feet, and by the time we turned from Old Route 66 onto our road, the slush was very wet snow that was accumulating.

We parked at the top of the driveway, and as we ran down to the house, grocery bags in hand, the wind picked up and it was almost white-out conditions.

We made it!

The slushy stuff was accumulating on the windows on the northwest side of the house (top picture).

The wind was what sailors call a 'veering flaw' at first, the trees blowing this way and that, and white waves coming across the yard. (second picture).

By the time we got the groceries put away, and MLC and Bruce had moved their cars up, the driveway was covered. (this picture).

And it was finally completely clear of all snow and ice for the first time since December 21 just yesterday! Durn it!

Well, it is back to parking above again, and wondering if we will make it into town for tomorrow's activities.

Here at home, we are slated to start doing some math together again tomorrow. That will keep us occupied if we become snowed in.

We are expecting accumulation through the night and through the day tomorrow.

The first wave of the California storm has made it to New Mexico.

In this picture