rare pattern thoughts in a blog

[Update Dec 22: I've posted some pictures now. They're linked below.]

When I left the office yesterday, we were getting about 2" of snow per hour. The day had started with the streets bone dry. There had been only a dusting on the ground by the time I had pulled into the parking lot that morning. So while we knew it was snowing pretty good, we didn't really think that this storm would shut everything down. We just dug into a rather large and challenging Drupal project we have on the plate, and the hours ticked by.

It was after 2pm by the time we realized that we really should get the heck out of the office. Snow was piling up against our windows -- the ground-floor office is actually at split-level -- and the cars were buried in well over a foot of snow already.

I took snapshots before digging out. The drive home was a minor adventure, with busses stuck in intersections, numbskull drivers spinning out at 45 mph on city streets--

[Note to snow-driving newbies: Four-wheel drive doesn't mean anything when your tires can't get traction on the icy surface. Duh!]

--and white-out conditions once I started crossing the open ranchlands. Of course I just had to take pictures along the way.

Unfortunately in my discombobulated process of gathering myself to leave, I neglected to bring my camera cable, so I can't upload any photos right now.

Last night, as the snow continued to fall, it was astonishingly quiet. No planes in the air, no cars on the road. Everyone was inside. It was as peaceful as a farm in the countryside.

The evening wasn't so kind to Greg, who was stuck on the RTD for hours and hours while the bus slogged through car-jammed streets and country roads trying to get to Denver.

Today the Interstates are closed, and the snowplows are overworked. Everything is closed ... except for the local King Soopers (I called to make sure). For now, I will relish the peace and quiet. By this afternoon or tomorrow at the latest things will be back to normal. People don't like to sit still here, and when the most popular vehicles are Subarus, 4x4 pick-ups and SUVs, it's not likely that a little (or a lot) of snow on the ground is going to stop them for long.

I'll post some pictures once I can get back to the office.

About the author

Laura Scott is a web designer and developer.