Life is a highway....

It's the beginning of November, and Sandy has given winter a world wide welcome, and she's made it clear its going to be a memorable one at that. South African bred, thinking Fall was bitterly cold, this winter story shocked my system and my bank balance to implement the American advice of "layers, layers, layers!" Nevertheless, with extreme weather comes extreme sports. Danielle's family having the condo in Vermont, vouched for a great Ski opportunity for us both, and one we couldn't refuse. It was a trip to Outdoor Sports Centre in Wilton, where our boots were fitted and paid for, 5 days for collection and we had hired our gear for the season, ski's, boots and poles. Socks, jackets, ski pants, helmet and goggles and we were A for Away !

Danielle's host dad found a great deal for us to get ski passes for Okemo mountain, as well as three one hour lessons. Considering we have both never attempted to ski in our entire existence, this sounded like the ideal package. The weekend trip was open, the plan was to have a few farewell drinks with Mariska at Cactus Rose, as she was leaving the next week, spend no more than an hour at the bar, then drive the 4 and a half hours or so from Wilton to Ludlow, where we would get to sleep around 1a.m and would be bright and bushy for our first lesson. We met for drinks, we had a few laughs, we socialized with the group, we said goodbye and we jumped in old faithful, the Pathfinder.

On route, we stopped for a coffee and pee break at Dunkin, pulling out Dan noticed warning lights appear, considering the car had been in for a repair that day it was not a concern. Driving a while longer, our jamming beats went from 4 to 2 speakers, thinking the speaker just blew, again, no concern (looking back now these were ALL warnings and concerns). Just outside of Massachusetts, around 10 p.m the clock disappears and the headlights start dimming, an emerging panic, an attempt to GPS nearest gas station, throwing commands to Dan while she drives in almost darkness, hearing next exit, she turned into the first one, trying to remain calm, I exclaimed it was the wrong exit, I guess exit was the operative word, and another was taken and we were driving through a toll with no staff in it, in which we continued to drive, coming out the toll it was no speakers, no clock , no lights, NO POWER ! We were on the side of the highway, African instincts - PANIC ! Freezing weather, Dan's window won't close (It was open from the no man toll booth drive through) shivering and shaking, a call to the host dad, and the man with a plan remains calm. Within seconds there is a tow truck, but it was just driving past and quickly lent us a hand, checking the battery to our dismay, was not the quick fix problem, it was the alternator. Over the next two hours, we were towed to a town called Springfield, where we dropped the car off at a panel beater for an early morning repair, then dropped off at a hotel to spend the night. All the movies and stories you hear, were definitely making a script for " The two African girls that went missing "

We turned the unfortunate event and made the most of it through humour and good vibes. Thankfully for that piece of plastic that saved our lives that night ! The ski trip would be delayed a day.... but our enthusiasm remained !

Something fun ...

I made this on Frabz.com, a fun website where you can create and add captions and pictures! 

A sandy surprise !

Having celebrated Halloween in the city, returning home to Weston called for serious havoc amoungst the community and neighbouring towns. The news channels were bombarded with warnings and evacuation routes, stores were being cleaned out in the food and bottled water departments. People were driving up North and away from Sandy's predicted destructive path, hotels were fully booked. The worry and concern was pulsating from person to person like an electrical current, you couldn't help but catch the contagious pandemic called fear. Our plan was to stay put until the power went out, we ran out of water and food, then hopefully after the storm had hit, we would find a clear path out of town and head towards Boston to the in laws and stay while the town cleared the roads and fixed the power lines. We did just that !

The storm came and went like a tropical storm in Florida, but the damage it left behind, was unforgivable. Eternally thankful for the minimal damage in our town, and to myself, friends and families whom I knew and met, but the torment, the pain that was felt for all those effected, was indescribable. Towns were destroyed, houses were flooded, people were homeless, roads were blocked, power was out and heat was out of reach. An unforgettable experience, in which to forget was a luxury.


We made our way to Boston to escape, stayed in a dog friendly hotel and tried to make the most of this unfortunate event. I loved Boston, the vibe, the buildings, the size, the weather, the people, it was a colourfully sophisticated, yet entertainingly vibrant city, where history and youth met in a mixture of content. I took the kids to the New England Aquarium where we watched an Imax show and saw the rare blue penguin. On October 31st, we made our way to the outskirts of Boston to family friends, where we took the kids trick or treating through the streets. A real American Halloween!

We ate delicious Italian Pizza and drank cappuccino's at the well known Pompei Cafe.

 



Leaving on the Friday, a generator stuck in the back with seven people in a Chevy Suburban, Tracey and I found ourselves high on gas by the time we made it home. Being the smaller of the towns, we only got power back on that next Monday. Wow did it feel good to be connected to Wifi again, and to have a hot shower that wasn't at the gym or at your friends house in the next town. Thankful to only have just been inconvenienced by Sandy, there were people who were severely effected, life changing for thousands, my thoughts and prayers were sent to all those in need, and still to this day, people are picking up the pieces of their lives, lost and found, that Sandy through around like a disheveled puzzle.

Encore: The last three months ....

Due to an overload of pictures on my previous Blog: statesofmind-52.blogspot.com, I decided to continue my adventures of the new year, on an entirely fresh new blog, more space for more picture viewing pleasure. Posts should appear shortly. It's been a while, so there is a lot of catching up to do, a lot of juicy, fun, interesting, adventurous stories and anecdotes to be displayed soon :)

Click here http://www.statesofmind-52.blogspot.com