hurricanes, antiques and wine....
(and no, my mom isn't the antique...)
So I got to leave Alaska for spring break. I think its the first time ever! And I left behind my kids, my dogs, and my husband to enjoy a girls' week with my mom and my sister. It was also the first time I was getting to see the house now that it's done!
The morning I left Alaska it was -16 degrees. I got off the plane 5 hours later in Portland to sunshine an 50 degrees above zero. Ahhhh. Plus my sister greeted me at the airport, and we stopped at Trader Joe's. These are all good things. Zippy trip to the coast, mom and wine waiting at the house - life was good.
And then armageddon began. Over the next five days I experienced at least three nights of hurricane (75mph+) force winds, hail the size of marbles, record-setting snowfall and rain like I had never seen before. It was crazy.
In fact, it was so crazy that one night, after I had crawled into my snuggly bed, my mom came to get me. "Sweetie's barking at something on the roof! It might be an animal!" So I hauled myself to the other end of the house and sure enough, the dog was barking and the roof was pounding. So, like I have done for years when my mother hears a noise (one day I'll write about being sent into the dark at age 10 to find the burglar) I got a flashlight and went outside to see what it was. Turned out to only be a tree at the neighbor's house, loaded down with ice and snow, and hitting the house in the high winds. Although it was harmless, it was enough to scare the dog who had to sleep with me that night, on the end of the house away from the noise.
We did avert tragedy and find treasure. I was going to bring in a box from the shed, where my mother had stored boxes from my grandmother. It turned out that the high winds and heavy rains found a leak in the shed, so we ended up bringing everything into the house and going through it. Not only did we save some artwork and a bunch of family pictures, we got to see some of what my Gram had considered treasures and kept as she moved to Oregon. One of the treasures was a plate I had made her when I was probably 2nd grade. It said "Happy Mother's Day" and I had drawn a picture of me and Grammie. Pretty cool find.
And although the weather kept me from walking to the beach each day, it did allow me to stay inside and read books, take naps, drink wine and enjoy my mom. I'd say it was a successful vacation.
And then I came home to reality and -10 degrees. Sunshine and homework, and helping edit a paper for my kid. But it's all good.
So I got to leave Alaska for spring break. I think its the first time ever! And I left behind my kids, my dogs, and my husband to enjoy a girls' week with my mom and my sister. It was also the first time I was getting to see the house now that it's done!
The morning I left Alaska it was -16 degrees. I got off the plane 5 hours later in Portland to sunshine an 50 degrees above zero. Ahhhh. Plus my sister greeted me at the airport, and we stopped at Trader Joe's. These are all good things. Zippy trip to the coast, mom and wine waiting at the house - life was good.
And then armageddon began. Over the next five days I experienced at least three nights of hurricane (75mph+) force winds, hail the size of marbles, record-setting snowfall and rain like I had never seen before. It was crazy.
In fact, it was so crazy that one night, after I had crawled into my snuggly bed, my mom came to get me. "Sweetie's barking at something on the roof! It might be an animal!" So I hauled myself to the other end of the house and sure enough, the dog was barking and the roof was pounding. So, like I have done for years when my mother hears a noise (one day I'll write about being sent into the dark at age 10 to find the burglar) I got a flashlight and went outside to see what it was. Turned out to only be a tree at the neighbor's house, loaded down with ice and snow, and hitting the house in the high winds. Although it was harmless, it was enough to scare the dog who had to sleep with me that night, on the end of the house away from the noise.
We did avert tragedy and find treasure. I was going to bring in a box from the shed, where my mother had stored boxes from my grandmother. It turned out that the high winds and heavy rains found a leak in the shed, so we ended up bringing everything into the house and going through it. Not only did we save some artwork and a bunch of family pictures, we got to see some of what my Gram had considered treasures and kept as she moved to Oregon. One of the treasures was a plate I had made her when I was probably 2nd grade. It said "Happy Mother's Day" and I had drawn a picture of me and Grammie. Pretty cool find.
And although the weather kept me from walking to the beach each day, it did allow me to stay inside and read books, take naps, drink wine and enjoy my mom. I'd say it was a successful vacation.
And then I came home to reality and -10 degrees. Sunshine and homework, and helping edit a paper for my kid. But it's all good.
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