The first day of snow

A couple of days ago our family in Barstow, CA and Las Vegas, NV experienced a freak snow event. Both places got about 7 inches. The Las Vegas airport was completely shut down mainly because they didn't have the equipment to plow the snow or de-ice the planes. My sister, who works at Fort Irwin, was lucky enough not to get stuck on the base like some of her colleagues. I saw some videos from a Barstow news outlet and it was cute to see these people in their shorts and sneakers playing in the snow. You can tell that this place doesn't get much snow because there was some really bad snow shoveling technique demonstrated in this video. But, as of last night, there were no fatal accidents in Barstow.

My mom or my other sister may have to correct me, but I have a vague recollection of a freak snowstorm when we lived in Stockton. Or maybe that was a false memory created by my subconcious telling me that I really belong in New England.

Today, we had our first real snow of the season. The kind that accumulates and that you have to shovel. It's always exciting when we get the first snow. Everything is white and it makes this time of year feel more festive. There were neighborhood kids making snow angels and having snowball fights. The first (good) snow is always the best snow of the season.

We went out to do last minute chores and shopping before the storm hit. We actually got caught out in it for a little while. Although there is a lovely aftermath, this was not gently falling snow. The wind made it rather unpleasant to walk in. But, like other New Englanders, we soldiered on and finished almost all of the shopping.

When we came home, we found this scene across from our house:

(Full disclosure: this picture was taken several hours after we returned home)

This is the gas company digging into the street. After hearing about other people around the state without heat (or electricity) since the ice storm last weekend, we got a little nervous. Our gas service is still on - so far. We'll keep you posted on that score. I'm pretty sure that we won't have our service disrupted. But, I guess you never know. Considering that they are still out there as I write this, I am still a bit nervous.

In addition to someone possibly not having heat, there is also the problem that the utility company trucks and equipment are taking up very valuable parking spaces. This street has a real problem with the parking, a subject I will eventually write about. For now, it suffices to say that Marcos sometimes has to drive around for 20 minutes looking for a spot. Of course, on balance, I guess I would rather have regular utility service than easy parking. And in fairness to them, two days ago a house blew up a couple of days ago in a town south of Boston from a gas leak. Someone died. So, we can't complain.

Hopefully we can get out tomorrow to take pictures.