Minneapolis Weekend

Well, about a month ago, Jamie and I decided to take a trip to visit a couple of my long time friends, Steve and Liz Powell.  It was the first time I had seen them since July 2006, and it was a weekend that will not soon be forgotten.

For one, I was able to meet their son, William.  Cool name, huh?  Will is a very intelligent and articulate three year old, and my friends Steve and Liz are doing a brilliant job raising will to become a man of character.

When I booked the flight, the weather in Minnesota was similar to that of West Virginia.  When we arrived, it was boasting high temperatures of that were far below freezing.

  

And, the city received a TON of snow.  So much snow, that it led to the collapse of the Metrodome on December 12^th.  

We made our way north from Minneapolis Friday night, and departed just in time to avoid the snow.  The next day, we awoke to colder weather, and in spite of the cold, we made our way out for a new experience—snowshoeing.  Of course, none of us have been ones who dabble in what we do, so we went for a four hour snoeshoeing hike!!!   According to my calorie counting app, that burnt about. 

And then…Jamie had a brand new experience.  She shot her first rounds from a firearm.  Steve and Liz were both all-americans on the WVU Rifle team when they were students here, and steve sells parts for individuals who are loking to build their own firearms.  If you want to check out his business, click here.  Btw, Jamie was a natural.  I’ve never seen anyone pick up marksmanship so quickly and neither had the Powells.  Extra incentive to stay on her good side. ;)

After our fun foray in a winter wonderland about 20 miles from the nearest store, we eventually made our way back to the city, and to a driveway buried in over two feet of snow.  Steve and I cleared the driveway,  and then Steve introduced me to raking snow off the roof to prevent water damage.  Good information to know if Morgantown receives the same level of snow fall as it did last winter.

As we ended our time, we made one last trip into downtown Minneapolis to a new restaurant called Chino Latino.  It featured equatorial foods from around the globe.  If you are in Minneapolis, give it a try. 

It was a great weekend filled with relaxation after a very busy season of travel, and it was truly refreshing to see my friends after a long period apart.  

More Snow

Well, old man winter keeps grinding forward here in WV, and it's becoming challenging to keep up with it. The tree in the photo looks really pretty arched over my driveway like that, but it typically doesn't look like that, that's just from the weight of the snow on the limbs.

There's a set of stairs that head downtown that run near my house. The other day, I tried walking down them and nearly feel four times. One of my roommates wasn't so agile--he fell seven times walking down those stairs. They were snow covered, but now they are packed snow and ice.

It has served as a reminder to slow down and simplify life, and it has limited my personal travel over the last few weeks as well. Most of my travel these days is on foot. The snow is coming down at just the right pace to make the roads near my house pretty treacherous. The main roads in town are staying fairly clear, but any other roads are becoming challenging to manage. The great thing amid this challenge is that most locations in town are within a 40 minute walk of the house.

Things are looking like there will be a break soon. Another 2-4 inches are expected by Thursday morning, but then the weather should be reduced to flurries . . . at least for a couple of days. I bet there is some great skiing right now somewhere . . .

As I was watching someone slip down the stairs near my house this morning, I came back to my computer to find this article about the snowfall in Preston County. I have a few friends who live out that way. One told me that there were 5 foot drifts across the long driveway leading to their house.

Be sure to pray for those living in rural areas who may be snowed in. Hope you are staying warm, wherever you may be.

Winter Morgantown Views

Well, we received an additional six inches of snow in Morgantown this week, but as of today it appears people are starting to be able to move their cars. On the streets around my house there's only about two inces of crushed snow and ice on the roads, and there are two grooves that go down to the pavement in some places now. We are expecting snow for most of the next week, but nothing on the scale of what we have experienced this past week. It's just really cold and that makes it difficult to see this snow disappear.

At the same time, there has been a quiet over the city as fewer people are on the roads, and people are realizing that driving around on icy roads in a city built on a hill is probably not the best idea. It's quiet, and the views have been really stunning as I've looked around this town in which I live. The photos in this post were taken from my neighborhood, and as I walked to Starbucks the other day to get internet access, I snapped them to capture the moment.



I'm grateful for the fact that my house has had power over the last few days, and we've been able to stay warm. We've also been fortunate that we can travel on foot to most places we need to travel. There are still people without power as a result of the storm. Remember them. Our federal government closed for part of the week because of the snow that has fallen in the greater DC area.

Hope you are staying warm wherever you may be as we prepare for the next few days of snow here in West Virginia.

Lookin Out My Back Door

This past weekend (as many of you know), Morgantown received a heap of snow. I have heard a varied range for total accumulations, but I feel like 16" is a safe bet. Before the initial snowfall, there were several hours of rain and sleet that became a layer of ice in the early evening hours Friday night. While the snow covered the ground and seemed to cleanse the area with a mat of soft quiet white wonder, it also did a fair share of damage.

Much of the region was without power over the weekend, and some locales will not have electricity until this coming Friday at the earliest. At the house, we only experienced a cable outage for the weekend, but it came back in time for the superbowl. Oh, and the internet was out until this afternoon as well (so I'm writing this blog from Starbucks).

The snow shut down most of town, and the University is going to re-open tomorrow at 6AM. Interestingly, while I was writing this blog, I heard reports of an additional 5-9 inches of snow are to be expected tomorrow, and snow is in the forecast every day for the next ten days . . .

Hope you like the photo, and and I hope you are staying warm wherever you are!

Reflections on 2007 Part 1 (Winter)

Reflections on 2007, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

I remember reading several years ago that people would reflect more if they had an opportunity to live their life over again. In that spirit, I wanted to make an attempt to reflect on a few of the things God has done over the last year. Many of the things I blogged about, and being able to look over some of those blog entries and images really stirred me to see the massive amount of trials and triumphs I have been part of in 2007. Now some things didn't make it into the blog, like the opening of our coffee shop, sozo and the start of a monthly mixer for college students and young professionals at Chestnut Ridge Church. As I began to piece together this blog entry, I realized it might be better to break it into four parts and walk through the seasons, so this entry represents a few highlights from the first three months of 2007.

I leapt into the new year with a visit from my best friend in the whole world, Willie, and a list of lofty goals from fitness to faith, and I actually achieved a few along the way (including running 100 miles in the month of January).
I tried to be a little more environmentally responsible and started recycling and making some changes around the house (including changing light bulbs) in order to work toward better stewardship of God's good earth.

In Winter, Waterboyz mania swept Morgantown and the world.

My family also purchased a cabin near Elkins, WV. It has become a place of retreat and refreshment for everyone in the family.

I also had an opportunity to speak at the Native American Literature Symposium and represent my tribe, and the university as I presented a paper I wrote.

That wraps up a few highlights from Winter 2007 for me. What was going on in your life last winter? What changes did you make and what habits did you start with the new year? I would love to hear, and I want to encourage you as you finish reading this to take time to reflect. I'll continue in the future with reflections from Spring, Summer and Fall 2007. Also, if you decide to visit the links I have included, I would love to hear your thoughts on my most memorable or impactful blog entry from this past winter.

In-Flurry-Ated

I was walking down to campus this afternoon, and a storm blew up. I thought it would be cool to take a picture, and in the few seconds between that thought, and stopping to take this photo I was saturated with snow!

Not so long ago, it was sixty-five degrees. Maybe the cold weater and snow are finally here to stay.

The wind and snow were coming down similar to the rain I experienced last week. The snow hurt as it hit my face, and before I knew it my body was covered in white. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on whether you have to drive or commute in this), the snow has seriously slowed down since that gust.

Snow in October

Snow in October, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

It is snowing in Morgantown. Leaves are still green on the trees in my yard. Every fifteen minutes I hear the crack of another branch as it breaks and falls somewhere in my neighborhood because of the weight of the snow on the still green leaves. The tops are broken out of most of the trees in my neighborhood right now. Powerlines are down, and the power goes out for a few seconds every half hour.

I hope this is not an early indicator of the severity of the winter to come.

Last night I left my class around 9:45. As I walked home it was snowing a little bit (it had been raining earlier). Twenty minutes after I got home, my roommate calls me outside. The ground was covered with snow.

And it is still coming down this morning. . .