Silliness in the snow!!

Over the last 7 days we have had LOADS of snow ... not as much as the east coast, which has been all over the news ... but according to the locals we have had the worst winter storms they have seen for years ... last Friday was the first big snow fall ... but it just kept coming every couple of days ... with different snow emergency levels across the state and many schools and businesses closing throughout the week!

We had made plans last weekend ... but once the snow started to fall we realised we weren't going anywhere ... and so made the most of it ... we had a couple of friends round, were able to watch England beat Wales in the Six Nations (thanks to BBC America!!) and then headed out into the backyard for lots of silliness in the snow!

As you can see the increased amounts of snow allowed for super-sized snowballs!! ... everything is bigger in America!! Andy and Esther (Mr and Mrs Porter-to-be ... in 4 months time!) were using our toboggan to pack down the deep snow ... and attempting to slide down a very slight incline!!! Much to our and Abigail's amusement!!!

As well as fooling around in the snow ... Abigail was falling around in it too ... it was so deep that every few steps she went SPLAT! Her preference was being scooted around in her little toboggan as you can see!!

Although most things were cancelled this week with the snow ... Jenny was able to make the first session of a quilting class ... quilting is BIG out here in the States ... especially in the more rural towns and here right by the Amish ... so Jenny figured how best to get to know a local tradition but to enrol in a class!! The perception of quilting out here is completely different to that back in the UK ... and it was really fun to be part of a class of 5 learning a new skill ... pictures to follow ... once she has done a bit more worth showing!!

The snow has been piling up all round the neighbourhood this week ... with the biggest piles of snow we've ever seen ... the main roads are cleared pretty quickly but the others ... like our road have been white with thick layers of snow and ice all week!! In spite of the snow ... Mark has made it into the hangar every day ... business as usual ... although it has been necessary to dig a path to the hangar door (see below!)

In the hangar the inspection of the Piper Aztec was completed at the end of last week and so Mark has returned to working on the Cessna again. Mark's supervisor has been down helping with the planes going to and from Haiti these last few weeks ... so it has made it a little bit more difficult to get on with things ... but we're pleased to say he has successfully completed another test ... this time the topic was 'Weight and Balance'! No planes have been flying from the airfield this week ... as you can see the runway, which runs perpendicular to this entranceway below, was a little covered!!

The sheer amount of snow we've had concerned us slightly as yesterday we were due to drive to Columbus to collect Jenny's mum, coming to stay for 10 days. As it turned out the last main snowfall happened on Tuesday ... and so although there is snow, a foot (or more) deep everywhere, the roads themselves were clear for us yesterday afternoon and she arrived safe and sound ... we were grateful for really good journey's to and from the airport as well! Now time for some fun in the snow with Nana Kukhu! ;o)