The aftermath

This blizzard created a big ol' mess, but it turns out it also gave me an early Christmas present. The federal government is closed tomorrow!! That means my vacation will start a day early. So thank you, Mother Nature.

The snow finally stopped falling late last night, and I think the official total was around 20 inches. Our little cafe table looks like a giant ice cream cone. Or I guess snow cone would be more appropriate. All I need is a gallon of blueberry syrup!

Since this is my first snow storm with a car, I had the unenviable task of digging it out.

The "before" picture. It kind of reminds me of a one-humped camel.

The action shot.

Despite all the hard work, there was quite a convivial atmosphere. All the neighbors were helping each other; it was really nice.

The "after" picture.

I then braved the cold temperatures and knee-deep snow to walk around Old Town a bit. Fortunately the main sidewalks and streets were pretty much cleared.

The Alexandria Courthouse

Market Square/City Hall

The popular sledding hill

Well, looks like I have another day of lying around the house, reading, and watching movies. Keep your fingers crossed that I'll have no trouble with my flight on Tuesday!

Blizzard of 2009

I'm not exaggerating when I say blizzard. The National Weather Service actually issued a blizzard warning for the Washington area. The snow started to fall around 8:00 last night, and we woke up with almost a foot of snow on the ground. Here are a few pictures I took from inside my warm house this morning:

My little car all covered in snow.

I'll try to update with more pictures...if I ever get out of the house.

UPDATED 2:11 pm: It's official. I've never seen this much snow in my life. It's gotten so bad that Metro has stopped running buses and above-ground trains. My church has even cancelled services for tomorrow. Here's a newer picture of my car:

And our back porch...as you can see, there are almost two feet of snow:

And here's a fun picture of ice crystals on my window:

The snow is still coming down pretty fast. I'll let you know if I ever get out of the house. But for now I think I'll pop open a bottle of champagne and fix some mimosas!