Snowing

I found some more pictures from the first snowfall.

These two pictures of Claire are fun.  I like to think she's trying to decide who to hit with her handful of snow.   Her father, who has definitely thrown his fair share of snowballs at Claire and deserves some retaliation,

or her unsuspecting, attention getting little sister, heh.  

But she must have been thinking something else, because no one ended up with a face full of snow.

We were hit with a big storm this weekend.  The girls and I were visiting my parents, and I made what was probably a bad decision that thankfully turned out fine: driving home right at the beginning of it all.  I figured I could beat most of the storm by leaving early, and if I stayed, I'd probably be there until Monday.  The trip started out fine, but quickly got bad, and then worse.  The slower I went, the longer I was out there, and the worse the roads got.  I believe in the end, it was probably a four hour drive that usually takes two.  It would have been fine if there were a plow or two out, but in the four hours I was on the highways, I only saw one, and it was on the other side of the highway.  On the positive side, the new Pilot handles really well in terrible conditions, and after logging all those hours behind the wheel, I am now at least twice as good at driving in the snow than I was a few days ago.  

Today I was more than happy to stay in the house, so although its beautiful outside with all the snow in the tree branches, I don't have any pictures.  Maybe tomorrow.

Snowman

Mike and Claire went out to build a snowman today. Its been nice, around 50 degrees for the past day or two, so I thought they'd have a difficult time since most of the snow has melted. Turns out everything that is left is really wet and perfect for making giant snowmen. Who knew? I went out to take pictures and found he had enlisted help form our neighbors.
































I think he has character!

First Winter Storm

We had our first winter storm of the season last night and into this morning, and it covered everything in about one inch of ice. We spent the night and morning without electricity or heat, but just as we were about to leave for a warmer place everything magically came back on. I think just hearing the furnace finally kick on made me feel warmer. A few of our Maple trees lost branches, though none of the other trees seemed to have problems. And when the sun came out and set, everything was sparkling and beautiful, which really is the best part of an ice storm.

Happy New Year

What a great holiday season. For New Years Eve, we went to a friend's and had a great time. Not knowing anyone willing to watch Claire until after midnight, it was really nice to spend this particular holiday with friends who have kids. The adults all had a great time while the kids ran around and did the same, but with slightly more energy.













The holiday celebrating isn't quite over yet. My family is coming to visit us this week. It will be my brother's first time in Maine, so I'm looking forward to showing him around. I have a list of the usual places people like to see. They will feel slightly different in the winter, but thats fine. There is a certain charm that comes with almost two feet of snow, which is how much was on our deck this afternoon. We are in the middle of another snow storm, however, so its safe to say that by the morning, we'll be well over the two foot mark. Good thing we all have snowshoes.





























We also had another reason to celebrate this past week, Mike's last call night of residency. I'm not sure what lies beyond residency as far as fellowships and such, but it could very well have been his last call night...in general. It seems pretty unbelievable, if thats true. Still, this past month Mike's call nights have had a sliver lining, for me anyway. We are a little over halfway through a boys vs girls exercise competition with two friends. At the end of thirty days, whichever team has worked out the most (only one work out per day is counted) is the winner. Mike hasn't been able to work out on his call nights, which has put the girl's team into a comfortable lead, since we have managed to exercise every day for the past 19 days. In other words, the girls have a perfect score so far. Of course this isn't just for glory and physical improvement. There are some nice prizes involved. When the girls win, we'll be treated to dinner and a Soak. If the guys could have pulled it off, we would have cooked them a five course dinner. Our competition ends on January 8th, but I'm sure there will be a round two. Better luck to the guys then!

Winter Fun

Maine has gotten a ton of snow this year. When I am up before five trying to rush to work it is annoying to shovel and hope my car will start but when I am off the snow is sweet and I can't wait to go ski or snowshoe or make a snowfort for Claire - like today. Here are some pics.

Winter is here.

Its cold in Maine, relatively speaking. Ask anyone out here, and they'll tell you that December has been frigid. I'd probably agree with them, if I hadn't just been in Wisconsin, where it actually IS cold. Maine is balmy by comparison. People don't always believe me when I tell them what the weather is like in Wisconsin.

The first big storm of the winter last weekend started as rain and then ended with snow. All summer long I'll wish we had gutters on our house, but in the winter I'm glad we don't. Without gutters, we get some of the prettiest icicles.



















Its snowing again tonight, and another storm should be here on Tuesday. I'm really hoping we get completely buried in snow this winter. Its been a good start. I'd love to see six feet in the back yard, which I've heard isn't uncommon in Maine.

Welcome Back, Winter

So the 'Picture of the Day' was actually taken today (04-05-07). Overnight we got 10 inches of snow. I'm sure it won't stick around long, the snow already looks to be melting off the roads, but it doesn't exactly feel very much like April anymore. On the other hand, we'll soon be in Hawaii, so I can't complain at all.

In the mean time, we are having an incoming resident and her husband (Sadie and John) stay with us for a few days while they job/house hunt. They drove up from Washington DC last night, and a trip that should have taken 8 hours lasted 14 due to the weather. Then today they found out that a number of John's interviews as well as some showings were canceled because of the weather. Seems like its been a rough start for them, but hopefully they find something they like in both searches. If not, I really think John is all set to just move right in with us.

Valentine's Day

Our plan?

Stay in the house.

Its pretty wintery out there today. Turns out the weathermen weren't kidding this time when they said a storm was on the way. I can't say I'm not enjoying it, though. It isn't often that I get to look forward to a solid 24 hours of snow. Its like a permission slip to stay in my pajamas until noon and completely write off anything productive. And being Valentine's Day, Claire and I cooked up some special treats. We did have a party planned with some of Claire's friends, but nobody wanted to come out in the storm today. Not that I blame them, I wouldn't have either. So we made cupcakes anyway, and then some chocolate covered strawberries.






































Since we finished those, Claire hasn't talked about much else.

"Those strawberries with chocolate on them sure do look delicious, Mom."
"You know those strawberries in the refrigerator? They sure do look yummy."
"I sure am hungry for a strawberry with chocolate on top."
"Is it tonight yet? Maybe I can eat just one strawberry."

Happy Valentine's Day.

A Northeaster!

Its coming! Our first big Northeaster* of the winter. Actually, its the biggest since 2000. We are suppose to get 10-15 inches of snow and 70mph winds making wind chills of -40 degrees possible and waves up to 20 feet! I would love to get out to the Portland Head and see that, but I doubt I will. Its suppose to start with ice sometime overnight, and at its peak tomorrow afternoon, we could get up to 3 inches of snow per hour. Everything is shutting down, dentist offices, doctors' offices, banks, even some schools already know they will have a snow day tomorrow. I've heard many warnings about having fresh batteries, flashlights, candles and blankets ready because wide spread power outages are not uncommon with these kinds of storms. We have all that stuff and a pile of firewood, so we should be fine if there is a power outage. Its really kind of exciting!

Claire's take on the whole thing is: "I guess we'll have to put on our snowshoes if we want to go to Dunkin' Donuts". She's probably right!

*The correct way to say it is 'Northeaster' (as opposed to 'Nor'easter'). This pronunciation is used on ships because 'Northeaster' is more easily understood than 'Nor'easter'. People who say 'Nor'easter' are thought of as trying too hard to be 'authentic' Maine or New England, but that doesn't keep the tv weathermen and papers from using it.

Happy Saturday

Its Saturday, Mike has the day off, and he took Claire to run a few errands. Alone time is completely underrated. Last night it snowed big fluffy flakes. The street lights reflected off the snow and cloud cover and made everything kind of glow orange. The roads must have been slick because all the cars were just crawling by. It was really nice, the slowness and quiet.














This morning its bright and sunny again (and definitely not as cold as it is in Wisconsin!). I shoveled the driveway while Claire climbed the snowbanks. We tried to make a snowman, but this kind of snow just won't stick together. So she settled on a few snow angles and then we went inside for breakfast. I'm sure thats just the beginning of playing outside today.

Snowshoeing in Style

Yesterday we went to Libby Hill to do some snowshoeing. Libby Hill has a great set of trails which lead to the back of Little Sebago Lake and they are perfect for x-country skiing or snowshoeing. Claire fell asleep on the way so I made her a little bed-in-a-sled (trademark Mike Halberg).

Bradbury Mountain with Snowshoes!

This Christmas Sheila and I got snowshoes from my parents and have been itching to use them. Today we got our chance and headed for Bradbury Mountain. The trip was beautiful and Claire did great in her new sled. By the time we got to the top it was dark so the pictures are a bit dark but it sure beautiful and serene in person!