Nor'easter - Iowa style

There are times when people believe all Iowans talk about is the weather. We talk about it during planting time, during harvest and any day in between. Sit and listen in any small coffee shop in the state and you will hear weather as a conversation point. Oh, by the way, my first few sentences might indicate we don't talk about weather between fall and spring, and there is no truth to that. We talk about it then, too. We are an agricultural state and the weather is a good indicator of the health of the crop.

On top of this is the way that many Iowans deal with severe weather. When the National Weather Service tells you to take shelter, if you go outside to look at how bad the weather really is, chances are you'll be able to wave at neighbors who are doing the same thing. After all, how can you know how bad a storm is unless you look at it?

That is all preface for my story. This week, I've had the opportunity and delight to travel with my daughter to see my sister, who lives in Maine. As my daughter was planning this trip, one issue was a curling event on Cape Cod that Jaye had already scheduled. We decided (easily enough) that Meg and I would go to the curling event.

By the way, a complete aside, if you've never watched curling, you really should. I find the physics and the strategy of the game fascinating. Maybe you should watch it with someone who knows what's going on the first time to help you to develop a basic understanding. Or, of course you could always watch hours and hours on YouTube.

There are times when people believe all Iowans talk about is the weather. We talk about it during planting time, during harvest and any day in between. Sit and listen in any small coffee shop in the state and you will hear weather as a conversation point. Oh, by the way, my earlier conversation might indicate we don't talk about weather between fall and spring, and there is no truth to that. We talk about it then, too. We are an agricultural state and the weather is a good indicator of the health of the crop.

On top of this is the way that many Iowans deal with severe weather. When the National Weather Service tells you to take shelter, if you go outside to look at how bad the weather really is, chances are you'll be able to wave at your neighbors who are outside checking on the same thing. After all, how can you know how bad a storm is unless you go out and look at it?

That is all preface for my story. This week, I've had the opportunity and delight to travel with my daughter to see my sister, who lives in Maine. As my daughter was planning this trip, one issue was a curling event on Cape Cod that Jaye had already scheduled. We decided (easily enough) that Meg and I would go to the curling event.

By the way, a complete aside, if you've never watched curling, you really should. I find the physics and the strategy of the game fascinating. Maybe you should watch it with someone who knows what's going on the first time to help you to develop a basic understanding. Or, of course you could always watch hours and hours on YouTube.

When our flight landed in Maine, we were told a Nor'easter was hitting the Cape, but you know, probably not a big deal. So we decided to head that way, take our time, and everything would probably be fine by the time we arrived. During the drive down, we decided to take a side trip and tour the USS Albacore on the way and then stop and have a little snack.

While we were driving, we read an alert that the Cape had been hit with a "bomb" cyclone and travel wasn't recommended. We also received word that electricity at the curling club was out. Curling math - Ice without electricity plus time equals water. So, what was our decision? Hold up and find a place and wait for the next day? Hell no. We were meeting people for dinner, and Jaye's team had a curling match that evening if the electricity came back. FORWARD!

By the way, given my history, I agreed completely with every one of these decisions.

As we got closer, we all noted the wind was somewhat severe and when it rain, it was pretty significant. Did we stop or turn back? Of course not. We watched the sky, and it didn't look that bad. In the middle of this, Then we got the message that power was restored at the curling club, so obviously things were getting better.

As we drove into Falmouth, MA, where the club was, we came across a gas station that had been pretty well destroyed by the storm. Several bucket trucks were out and about. We got to our rental and to our surprise; we had no electricity. Who could have possibly foreseen this? The sky hadn't looked bad at all. We gathered with the people we were to have dinner with, and then headed to the curling match that started a few hours late, finishing shortly after midnight. Fortunately, our power back the next morning in time for coffee, and the rest of the trip was very smooth. I'll tell you, it makes me wonder if my approach to weather has been flawed all of these years. The next time we have severe weather I will still say hello to my neighbors, as we stand outside watching storms roll in.

On a final note, my sister and her team won the final. This is a big deal and I am so proud of them.  When your copy of the United States Curling News comes in the mail next month, look for their picture for winning the Cape Cod Bog Spiel.

Okay, back to work next week.