Blizzard 2006

Knitting.  Tea.  Hot chocolate.  Warm, purring cats.  That's the theme I read through blogland on Monday and Tuesday for "how I spent the Blizzard of 2006".

It was not like that for me.

The trip out to Snowmass from Denver by van the week before the Blizzard was an experience in perspective.  The mountains put one in one's place.  I am a speck in this stunning volume of stone and mountain and sky.  There is so much, it will be here forever, and I will not.  This picture was a shot out the window of the van.

 

We took the van, again, from Snowmass, CO to Denver on Saturday the 11th, for our 8 am flight out of Denver International Airport on Sunday the 12th.  This is where ominous music cues in softly, stirring subliminal unease in the breast of the unwary and clueless.  I don't listen to news away from home, but I did hear other van riders talking about the Weather back East.  The hotel at the airport had wireless, so it was easy to check the United website, and confront that heartstopping word:

CANCELLED

At the height of attempted and prolonged rescheduling, Mr. Etherknitter had a cell phone on each ear, wading through the black hole of voice mail on each 800 number at United.  The Etherknitter had fired up the flight booking option on the United website, and was trying mightily.  "Okay, here's a direct from Denver to Boston tomorrow."  By the time the information was typed in, and "purchase" was clicked, the flight had *evaporated*.  Flight tomorrow through Chicago?  *click*  Oops.  Gone.  The cell phone on the left ear won, and a flight was booked out at noon Sunday instead of 8 am Sunday.  Checked at midnight, it was still good.  Checked at 6:30am?  Yep. CANCELLED. More cell phone voice mail hell.  Fried his phone.  It no longer charges and will only function when plugged into electricity.  We were booked on Monday (Monday??) at noon to Boston, arriving far too late for my day at work, and four hours late for Mr. Etherknitter's evening duties. 

Mapquest showed a 30 hour 3 minute drive from Denver.  The last time we did that, it was 17.5 hours from Chicago in a rental car after we were stranded at the in-laws during 9/11.  Nope.  Not happening.

So the DH, more desperate than I realized, went through United voice mail every hour and a half.  Rebuffed, rejected, scorned by booking agents who have heard it all, and care nothing for an OR schedule or an on-call duty, until the blizzard started to move out to sea.  A flight was opened: 6:30pm on Sunday, arriving 12:30am Monday.  Serendipity had us on the phone at the right moment.  Suitcases hurriedly repacked.  Bags thrown together.  Scramble.  Airport departure information monitors show a flight to Boston an hour earlier had been cancelled.  A flight to NYC half an hour earlier had been cancelled.  When the pilots showed up and boarded, we thought we had a chance. 

How does it warm the heart of the fearful flyer to be seated 12 rows away from her DH?  There were so many omens that this would result in an Etherknitter pancake on a Logan runway.  I had two close calls while skiing that week.  This flight looked like the third strike of fate.  The omens stacked up like coffins during a plague.  The man next to me was reading a book titled, "Now I Can Die a Peaceful Death".  The movie on the flight?  "An Unfinished Life".  Intellectually, I know that life and death are random for humans.  Omens are inconsequential.  But emotionally?  Whew. The flight was smooth until the approach to Logan.  The winds blowing the blizzard out to sea had at us.  I was not happy, and knit to ignore and forget.  We landed on ice and snow.   (Yes, I've had to rip what I knit.)

See what I mean about an insignificant speck in the universe?

I plyed the Wensleydale.  It's 120 yards of somewhat overspun exquisitely blue worsted Lisa Souza yarn.  I think the washing and hanging will tame it to a manageable degree.  Useable?  I truly don't mind if it is not.  Wensleydale and I will have to do some samba lessons before I call it knittable.  Here's the evidence.  For a blue, through a camera, and via a monitor, it's pretty close to true.

 

Comments

[Martha]

That's very pretty yarn. And it looks very even, too. I'd knit it up.

I think I would have missed work before I would have landed at Logan in that snowstorm.

[mamacate]

Wow. I'm so glad the randomness of the universe (and the improbability of an airplane crash--you know the fear is all about lack of control, I know) took care of you and brought you home safe and sound.

And the wensleydale? My dear, that looks utterly perfect to me. Sure, you might have cursed your way through spinning it, but it's completely gorgeous. Wow.

[Cassie]

Well... all's well that ends well? I'm not doing too well here, am I?

[Beth S.]

I think you need another vacation.

[Chris]

Welcome home!! I hope the mountain time was spectacular.

[--Deb]

I'm glad you made it home safely. My Dad had a similar experience coming home from Florida on Sunday and ended up driving home with his golfing buddies--22 hours in the car. Yikes!

[Norma]

My heart couldn't take it past about 2/3rd of your entry -- my chest was seizing up. I'll send you my doctor bill. ;-)

But I soldiered on to the end and am glad that ...yes, all's well that ends well.

[Cordelia]

Wow. What a story. I'm glad you got home okay too (and I know exactly what you mean about omens.)

And I second mamacate: the wensleydale looks perfect to me too.

[Carole]

How scary! I'm glad you're home safe and sound. But did you have a good time?

[Juno]

You know omens are bull***t, my love. But I'm glad the fates brought you home safely.

As for your yarn - pshaw to your caveats.

[Cheryl]

What an ordeal! That Wensleydale looks incredible though, I'd never have known you had any struggle spinning it.

[claudia]

All I got from that post was that you got to ski. YEAH! You did better than me.

[Kellee]

Oh my goodness! How about we order up a couple of beautiful, breezy, 50-degree days to make you feel better? Will that help?

[margene]

And I kept thinking...if she'd come to Utah...
Good thing bad omens don't mean anything.

[Caroline M]

The blue looks lovely, more even than anything I spin although that is faint praise. I've never spun Wensleydale, I decided that I like blue faced leicester and I'm playing with that until I get sick of it (although I do also have 300g of rainbow merino, silk and camel to fall back on)

Your scary flight moment was too scary for me, I sort of half read it just to see that it had a happy ending (like hiding behind the sofa when you were small and the tv was scary)

[JessaLu]

Oh my God. Not a big fan of flying here and I don't know if I could have made that flight without several tranquilizers.

So glad to hear you made it back safe!!

[Judy]

Bad omens, good kharma. You DO need a vacation. The wensleydale is beautiful. Really.

[Kris in Wisconsin]

That is beautiful yarn. Wow.

[lynne s of oz]

Sounds like a very eventful weekend in the wrong sort of way! But the pic of the mountain is pretty, as is the yarn :-)
Thanks for the rev-up for the Olympic speed/figure skating sock - seems to have done the trick!

[ann]

good grief!! love your spinning - it looks wonderful - why do you think it's unknittable??

[elisa]

oh my - what a harrowing adventure. i agree that you need another vacation!

[bev]

I wanted to send an email thanking you for your comment on my sunset. But instead am leaving a comment on your blog.
Funny you were so close - Denver is an hour south of me. Glad you made it home safe and sound.
Just a comment on your blog - I love your writing sytle. You are both entertaining and informative. You are now on my links list and I will be coming back. thanks!

[Sylvia]

I need a cup of cocoa after that! Wensleydale is divine stuff, but we're so accustomed to Merino that W is pretty solidly in the outerwear category now. Do you weave?

[Kristen]

I'm glad you're home, safe and sound. My last few flights have had similiar adventure-some themes, but I haven't had a job to return to, so they've been fun little escapades. People watching in airports and on planes is one of my most favorite things to do.

I have no words for the blue yarn - the color is wonderful and the twist looks great in the picture.

I have to admit that I read the first line and was excited that you'd adopted some cats....

[melanie]

Dude. I'll take a hospital stay over that travel catastrophe any day. what a mess! Glad you're home safe and sound.

[Cindy D]

Your view from the van is spectacular! Luckily all the omens were groundless. Wensleydale is a great spin and knit!

[Marcia]

Dang girl. You sure can tell a story. In fact, I was kind of waiting for the part where the police call you back after doing a trace on the evil perps threatening phone calls, to tell you to run for your lives because HE WAS CALLING YOU FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE!

But then I realized, wrong scary movie. I just wish yours was fiction too.

[vanessa]

omg, i know just wahy you mean. i had just finished reading robert fulghum's book "from beginning to end" and had an emargency landing on an airplane. not the best book to read before a flight ;-0

[Lucia]

I think "omens stacked up like coffins during a plague" is the aptest simile I have ever seen. If you ever get tired of putting people to sleep, you could have a spectacular career keeping them awake via the horror genre.

[AlisonH]

I was once on the last flight to land before a tornado touched down at Dulles airport near DC. We skidded sideways down the runway, and I was remembering that as I read, biting my fingernails and hoping you'd make it home okay. Whew! Welcome home! Does Lisa know you spun that up so beautifully?

[Lisa S]

Your spinning looks gorgeous! I usually spin my Wensleydale with less twist than something bouncy like merino, which gives me a bit of halo. There is nothing like the color that happens with that wool and you did a beautiful job with it. Yay!

[cathy]

Hope Mr. Etherknitter has a happy birthday! I hear knitting is a fabulous way to pass the time if you're laid up... I hear that about pinot also...Hope you get new birthday socks!