Why four wheel drive is necessary

This past Saturday started like any other day. Andy got up and went to work. I slept in.

I was awakened by the land lord calling to tell me that the water was out (again) because the pump had frozen in the single digit temps and they were doing their best to fix it.

I didn't have nearly as bad an attitude about it as I did last time because it wasn't a holiday and I didn't need to go anywhere. Plus, we still had power and heat. So, no big deal, I'd wait it out.

About an our after that first phone call I got another one. From a very unexpected person.

My little cousin, Ashley.

This is how the conversation went:

Me: Hello.

Ash: Hey Joanna, it's Ashley (I knew that already thanks to caller ID). My mom wanted me to call you because me and my friends drove up to (insert high altitude mountain name here) last night. It was snowing really fine snow when we got here, but we didn't think it would do anything and now we're snowed in because we brought my car (a Scion). Can you help us? My classes start on Monday. I really need to get off this mountain.

Me: ::long pause::

So many questions ran through my mind. Like: Did you check the weather before you came? Why did you bring your car? Did you check the weather before you came? Why didn't you just ask to stay with me? Did you check the weather before you came?

I did, eventually, ask all my questions, but right then I just told her I needed to call Andy to see if he could get off work to rescue her and her dumb ass friends. I think she told me she loved me about ten times (I knew that already) and I also think she was on the verge of a major breakdown, something I understand completely. We do share bloodlines. A little compassion and understanding goes a long way in such situations.

So, after many phone calls back and forth, Andy was fortunately slow enough at work to get a couple hours off with our friend Tyler who drives a two wheel drive car up here and is used to driving in the snow. Off we went to rescue them.

Let me interject here that three of these kids go to college up here and even if Ashley (who goes to college in South Carolina) didn't have enough forethought to check the weather, they certainly should have. Unless of course they were complete morons; something they affirmed for me about five minutes after I met them. What does this mean for the future of our country?

We did successfully pull them up and over the mountain. And there were two front wheel drive cars there, so we pulled the other one out too. Because The Hulk is a beast and totally awesome.

My Uncle called and thanked Andy and I over and over for sacrificing our Saturday and saving his little goofball. To which I replied that it was much more entertaining than what I had originally planned for that day, which was taking down the Christmas decorations.

Plus, by the time we got up there the sun had come out and the view was breathtaking. So, all-in-all a good way to spend a Saturday.

Snowstorm 2009

This afternoon when I measured the snow outside our door it was about 16 inches. I know several people who have 18 or more. The snow is really beautiful, but when it comes in such great quantities it can be kind of bothersome.

We're supposed to get more snow throughout the night and most of the day tomorrow. It won't be as significant, but another 4 inches on top of what we already have is a whole lot of snow.

Here are some photos and videos I took yesterday and today.

Video from "rush hour"

Our friends Robert and Allison spent the night with us. They were thinking about it in the afternoon, but when the main road was closed that pretty much sealed the deal. This is Robert's car right after they pulled up.

Andy got home shortly after 11. The Hulk has a lift and 33 inch tires.

Kind of grumpy after a long day at work. Also, Allison, Robert and I were watching Christmas movies and Andy doesn't really like Christmas movies.

Love my snowman flag. It's kind of perfect right now!

I decided I wanted to go walk around since I hadn't been out yet. So of course it made perfect sense to throw on my snow boots with my pajama bottoms.

I tried to take a picture of a snow covered tree, but the falling snow kind of got in the way.

No feet!

My footprints away from and back to the door. I didn't go far - it was cold!

Andy had to dig himself a hole so he could get into the storage room. He needed some more snow gear.

The temperature this morning around 8:30 am. It has stayed pretty steady all day. I think it's supposed to hover around this for the next three days or so.

People in the parking lot next door came early to dig themselves out before the snow started again.

This is the side yard. I took this and the photo above from a window.

After a big waffle breakfast it was time to dig the cars out.

The heat from the cars the night before melted some of the snow and then it refroze. Robert and Andy had a heck of a time getting the cars out this morning. First they got the Hulk out. Then they dug out Robert's car, but it just slipped around so Andy had to offer his assistance.

Explaining the process and plan:

Putting the plan into action:

Success!

Allison and I played with the camera while the men did all the hard labor. Actually I think Allison did some shoveling too, but I was inside and didn't come out until they'd gotten all the difficult stuff done. Good timing!

If you got snow, I hope you're enjoying it like we are. If you didn't, I hope you're enjoying your freedom.

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On a different note:

Andy and I received some very sad news this afternoon.

A close friend of ours passed away in his sleep last night. We are close with his whole family and our hearts are breaking for them. He was only 23 and right now it looks like he aspirated in his sleep. He was visiting home for the holiday season and his parents found him this morning.

Things like this never come at a good time, but something about losing a loved one during this time of year seems to make it extra hard.

Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they try to cope with this sudden, terrible loss.

Photogenic Friday: The Hulk

This week I'd like to introduce you to my new ride. It's another Jeep.

It isn't really new. It's new to me, because for the last eight years it's been Andy's. He has generously agreed to loan it to me until I get my "real" new ride, whenever that may be.

Don't worry about Andy though, he has a truck to get around in, we call the truck Magnum. Well, I call the truck Magnum and Andy tolerates me naming his vehicles.

The Hulk is what I like to call my new mode of transportation.

This is what the Hulk looked like roughly six years ago.


Several years later the Hulk has certainly suffered some wear and tear at the hands of my husband. In the photo above he has made just a few slight modifications. He continued to make more while still striving to keep the Hulk road worthy as he relied on it to transport him on a regular basis.

Fast forward to 2006 when he bought Magnum and the Hulk became Andy's toy or off roading vehicle. The Hulk had been off roading before then, but Andy paid a little more attention to what he was doing.

Since then? Not so much.



This is what the Hulk looks like today.


I don't think I really need to explain why I call it the Hulk.

This is where Andy says a tree got in the Hulk's way and nearly ripped off half of the grill and headlight. It's held on with zip ties.


This is where a ditch just "jumped right up and hit the Hulk in the side."


These are they fog lights that Andy professed his love for just a few days ago. He told me he'd be very upset if something happened to his fog lights. I think he values them above all other things on or in the Hulk.

This is a pregnant woman trying to get into the Hulk. I don't know if you can tell from the photos, but the Hulk is much taller than your average Jeep.


The next day she told me she injured her hip and woke up with a shooting pain. She didn't get back in the Hulk.

I'm still not sure how she managed to get up there.

It was a challenge for me when I was in a cast. I don't have a photo, but I had it down to an art and really I think it would be worth putting my walking boot back on and recreating it on film, just for posterity's sake.

I make fun of the Hulk a lot, but really I'm grateful to have it. I wouldn't have a car at all without it and if I can't have my Jeep back, the Hulk is a nice substitute.

*I asked Andy to pick out an off roading picture for me to post and it took him longer to pick one than it did for me to write this post.*

Gratitude, Day 13

My husband is 100% testosterone filled male. He likes all things outdoors, anything that will send him down a hill at mock speed, and cars.

He loves any car really, but in particular he loves to take a perfectly suitable, roadworthy SUV and make it as un-roadworthy as possible. The bigger the tires, the better. How high can that lift kit take the body? And the flow master mufflers, oh the roar of the flow master.

I give him a hard time about it on a regular basis. Right now he has two cars. A Dodge Ram that, surprisingly, is still in it's original stock condition, and a Jeep Cherokee that is not, at all. He has cut things off the body intentionally and knocked things off unintentionally; he has altered that car within and inch of it's life, and he loves it. If he tells you differently he is lying.

And I'm sure you can go ahead and guess that this car has it's very own flow master. It's really loud. My step dad says it sounds like a logging truck. The sound can be really irritating at certain times of morning and night. It kind of makes you want to take out the battery and hide it so he can't start the thing. But alas, he loves it, so we all endure.

Over the years though I've come to develop a fondness for the familiar roar of the menace. Since it can be heard from quite a ways it signals early when Andy is near. It's a good signal. When we were dating it let me know that my main squeeze would be in my arms soon and now that we are married it sends me into a quiet anticipation for when he will come through the door. Sometimes I'm not quiet and I run around the apartment telling the bunnies that "Daddy's home!" They never hop around and share my excitement, they just sit and look at me like I've lost my marbles. They're aloof like that.

As much chagrin as that muffler has caused me I've come to appreciate it. Even love it. I don't know what I'll do if he ever decides to just have normal mufflers on his cars.

I'll probably rethink all this when we have kids though. The first time he wakes up a sleeping baby with his car will be a bad day for Andy and the flow master.