Hampstead NH Holiday Parade 2008

Sorry this is so late but we still don’t have power eight days after the Ice Storm hit us. I don’t understand how come and why in this day and age it could take so long to restore power!

On Sunday December 14^th The 2008 Hampstead NH town Christmas parade went off without a hitch and considering that the majority of the town residents were still without power I was surprised and pleased to see the parade. It has ended up being the only bright spot in a long cold miserable weather related week.

Usually the street along the parade route is lined with people this year however the crowds were small but the spirit was huge.  It was also Chief Chip Hastings last parade as fire chief since he is retiring in January.

Where I stood near the center of town near my office the small crowd was vocal and very appreciative.  Many who stood in the cold waiting for the parade had no power or heat at home but like myself enjoyed the short holiday respite. After three days without power (at that point) I know I enjoyed the break.

Happy retirement Chief Chip and Happy Holidays to all…may the power soon be restored to all!

New Hampshire Ice Storm

Ice Storm Covers New Hampshire

Who would have thought that Thursday Dec 11^th 2008 would be a day that would make New Hampshire history?

It started out normal enough with just a mild winter storm warning…maybe some ice but really it didn’t look like it would be a major storm at all. It caught many un-prepared including me and Jay.

I was in Boston attending a two day Spokesperson training program that ended early so that we could travel home before the ice storm hit. I had been sick for days so I was glad to get back home a bit earlier than planned.  Driving home on Rte 93 we encountered rain but no ice and it was a relatively smooth commute.  In fact at 4:30 that afternoon Jay and I met customers in our Salem office to go over paperwork needed for an offer. We still had no idea that life would soon change.

By 9 p.m. Thursday we knew it would be bad…worse than originally thought.  It was late and we thought that tomorrow we’d go to the store and stock up on essentials.

We lost power at 10:45 p.m. that night and went to bed chilled but not really worried. I thought for sure the power would be back on by the morning. I slept peacefully but Jay was kept awake by the sounds of the storm.

Friday morning we found out we were one of well over 400,000 New Hampshire residents without power.  No internet, no running water and no heat mixed with below freezing temps and a house that registered a not so comfortable 50 degrees.

Our back yard suffered many snapped and downed trees, some downed by the roots others snapped in half or even split down the middle.  As I walked around my back yard on Friday I felt like I was in another world. Everything was covered by ice…sparkling white ice, so pretty to look at but so deadly. To say that we were “Iced in” is an accurate description. It was surreal. As I walked about I heard what sounded like gun fire and watched as trees dropped before my eyes from the weight of the ice. I had never seen anything like it before and I felt enclosed within an ice tunnel in my own back yard. I had no idea how wide spread the Ice storm was and how devastating it was. I just knew in my own little world the landscape had forever been altered.  Apple trees, pine and oak all fell victim, smaller lilac bushes, grape vines and rhododendrons all crushed beneath the white ice.

It has been a humbling experience.  Jay and I are cold but fine and our family all suffer the same plight. I don’t think I’ll ever take for granted having heat, electricity and running water ever again.  Finding a hot spot to check e-mail and getting my news from Twitter, even PSNH is on Twitter and they responded to my request for updates, has been the norm these last few days.

I’ve taken a ton of pictures and of course shot a few videos but without power I’m not sure when I can get them uploaded. A hot spot might work if I can find one…I’m not sure.

We’re on day three without power and this morning, Sunday, our temperature inside the house was 47 degrees and 6 degrees outside.  We’re starting to feel the effect s of three days without heat, getting grumpy and dreaming of a hot shower. Maybe today will be our lucky day.

Ice Storm 2008 will go down in New Hampshire history as a storm that brought New Hampshire to a standstill but for me personally as a journey back to realizing what is important and to cherish all that we had taken for granted…basic needs versus all the trappings of life.  Amazing how valuable the simple things really are.

Stay Warm!