Sadly, I haven't made any posts for a few weeks but, that doesn't mean there hasn't been anything to write about.
Time has been an issue.
Here, where I live, we have had three snow storms in three weeks totaling almost 30 inches of snow. I realize in some areas of the U.S. this is a common amount and is expected each year. But here, last winter we barely got below freezing and our winter weather was more in line with Paris, it was just wet. Maybe 90% of our precipitation was rain, 10% just a light flurry or dusting of snow. It was been 20 years since we've had this amount of snow in such a short time and we really were not prepared for it. Now, here it April 1st, and the forecast for today is sunny and the mid 60s (that would be Fahrenheit). Tomorrow, however, the forecast calls for more snow. Someone really needs to explain to Mother Nature the concept of Spring.
A few weeks ago we had our monthly meetup of travelers, as it happened a new face appeared at out table. He, too, is going to France this summer and will be spending around a month in the Loire valley. As we spoke with him we learned he has been to France several times over the years and knows the country quite well. When he learned we would be in Paris for three weeks the same time he would be in France he offered to show us around Chartres which would make for a good day trip out of Paris. He speaks French fluently (as well he should since he teaches French at a University) and is a delight to talk to. I think we will accept his gracious offer and explore Chartres for a day.
As I write this, we have 90 days, 3 hours, 23 minutes and 42 seconds until we leave. The closer it gets, the more anxious I am becoming. I'm anxious, obviously, to leave, I want to spend as much time as possible in Paris celebrating our 30th anniversary and I want to leave NOW! I can't, of course but that doesn't keep me from wanting to. I'm also anxious in wanting to make sure I have done everything I need to, to prepare for the trip. I have the plane tickets, passports, an apartment rental and money put back to support us while we are there. I have made copies of everything I can think of, just in case something gets lost. I also have a list of suggestions for different restos to try, shops to browse and areas to explore. I have a new camera to record our experience and celebration.
I think I'm ready.
I know I'll forget something.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Life has a way of getting in the way
Yes, I know, it has been two or three weeks since I've posted. But alas, as the title says, life does have a way of getting in the way.
Our monthly travel group moved its meeting to a new location, while it is farther from our house distance wise, it takes about the same amount of time due to being able to take the highway all the way. Moving the location make sense, it is easier to get to and because of that fact, more people decided to join in. Many more tales and stories and tips to listen to and absorb, that is a plus. The downside is, it is still at the same nameless, overpriced franchise, just a different location.
As far as life getting in the way, well, we had been enjoying a fairly mild winter until this ...
... ten inches of snow. As Mother Nature graced us with a gauzy blanket of white, life still beckoned. My lovely wife works for the public school system which closed for the day, she, in turn, had the day off. Not so, for me.
When I woke the morning of the snow, there was no snow on the ground. Not even a flake floating freely on the wisps of air in the darkened morning sky. By the time I arrived at work, which is almost a 30 minute drive, the first crystals of snow had begun to fall. Three hours later, it was announced we were snowed in. The highways closed, the road directly in front of our facility became jammed with cars manned by the folks desperate to get home.
Around two in the afternoon, we were told the highways reopened and we could leave for the day. My drive home was an obstacle course of cars, trucks and snowdrifts. Cars and trucks lined the highways where drivers had lost control and slid into deep snow. Several cars became stuck in the middle of the highway and were abandoned where they stopped. My normal 30 minute drive became 90 minutes but, finally, I made it home to find a warm fire burning in the fireplace. I didn't get a chance to enjoy it until two hours later as I had to shovel enough snow out of my drive to park off the road.
While this was enough to slow down my plans for writing and updating this blog, Mother Nature wasn't finished. Two days later, a much slower moving snow storm moved in. By the time this storm left it had deposited over 12 inches of snow, making a total of almost 24 inches of snow is less than four days.
And that my friends, is how life got in the way.
Our monthly travel group moved its meeting to a new location, while it is farther from our house distance wise, it takes about the same amount of time due to being able to take the highway all the way. Moving the location make sense, it is easier to get to and because of that fact, more people decided to join in. Many more tales and stories and tips to listen to and absorb, that is a plus. The downside is, it is still at the same nameless, overpriced franchise, just a different location.
As far as life getting in the way, well, we had been enjoying a fairly mild winter until this ...
... ten inches of snow. As Mother Nature graced us with a gauzy blanket of white, life still beckoned. My lovely wife works for the public school system which closed for the day, she, in turn, had the day off. Not so, for me.
When I woke the morning of the snow, there was no snow on the ground. Not even a flake floating freely on the wisps of air in the darkened morning sky. By the time I arrived at work, which is almost a 30 minute drive, the first crystals of snow had begun to fall. Three hours later, it was announced we were snowed in. The highways closed, the road directly in front of our facility became jammed with cars manned by the folks desperate to get home.
Around two in the afternoon, we were told the highways reopened and we could leave for the day. My drive home was an obstacle course of cars, trucks and snowdrifts. Cars and trucks lined the highways where drivers had lost control and slid into deep snow. Several cars became stuck in the middle of the highway and were abandoned where they stopped. My normal 30 minute drive became 90 minutes but, finally, I made it home to find a warm fire burning in the fireplace. I didn't get a chance to enjoy it until two hours later as I had to shovel enough snow out of my drive to park off the road.
While this was enough to slow down my plans for writing and updating this blog, Mother Nature wasn't finished. Two days later, a much slower moving snow storm moved in. By the time this storm left it had deposited over 12 inches of snow, making a total of almost 24 inches of snow is less than four days.
And that my friends, is how life got in the way.
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