The Great Blizzard of 2009: Maryland is closed

After eight and a half years in southeast Idaho -- and annual winter trips to Idaho during our eight and a half years in Las Vegas -- it takes a pretty hefty storm to impress us.



The weather this weekend gave it a good try, dumping more than two feet of snow in 24 hours in the Frederick area, and basically paralyzing the entire D.C. region. It snowed and snowed, from light flurries to large, heavy flakes. In some places it simply stacked up, inch upon inch. In other places it drifted, up to three feet deep against the house and shrubs.

Jason and Yvonne showed their concern by...going Christmas shopping. It was a great day, the Saturday before Christmas, to clear the snow off the Suburban, put it into four-wheel-drive, and head for the mall.



We knew we were in for a good day, because no one -- we mean no one -- was on the road.



Once we got to the mall, we were one of about 25 non-employees in the entire mall.



Santa was lonely and bored. It was sad.



Some stores were closed, but the ones we wanted to visit were ok, and we got great service and some deals there and other stores in the area before they closed for the day.



The kids, meanwhile, holed up in the house, nice and warm, and entertained themselves by making cookies, watching movies, and just hanging out.



They also found time to...dance (they may wish this video didn't exist -- but it was one of several they shot during the day).



The kids also got in a first round of snow-shoveling. When Jason and Yvonne got home, it was time for round two -- a heavy, heavy round of shoveling the driveway that looked so sweeping and grand in the summer and fall, but is entirely too large to shovel in the winter.



We thought it was a good storm, but after years in Idaho and travelling through Utah, we thought it looked more like an April squall. We were surprised to learn that Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia all declared emergency situations because of the storm that was called "massive," "historic," and "apocalyptic" (we made that last one up). But that's how we roll here in the East.

As a family, we finished the day with hot chocolate, popcorn, and the movie "Elf." Maybe a reason to stay inside was good after all.