I know, what else can you say about an ice storm? Well...apparently after I posted Wednesday, the worst was yet to come. Our power went out late Wednesday night and came back about 48 hours later on Friday night. We were lucky - we have gas logs, which apparently heat the entire house! We also have a gas hot water heater and we found a camp stove and propane. We were living the high life with a warm house, hot showers, and hot food. It was an adventure though. You know you're running out of things to do to entertain children when you go for a 90 minute bike ride in the ice!
Aiken was one of the hardest hit towns with almost the entire place without power. It was pretty devastating to see downtown, especially South Boundary with the old oak tree tunnel. There are still a lot of people here without power. We have some friends without power on well water. So - they don't have power or water. I cannot imagine!
We were lucky enough to get a visitor for a little while. We picked up Ms. Hollis to come hang out with us. She had no power, hot water, or gas logs, so she was pretty cold. Plus, Mr. Mike was out of town and Ms. Hollis was tired of sitting in the dark by herself. I'm sure we were plenty of social interaction for her!
All in all, it was a fun adventure. Almost all of our food survived since we packed it in ice mounds outside. We don't have pine trees so our tree damage was limbs and branches, but nothing major to clean up. we feel pretty lucky!
How you make tea without power
Sleeping arrangements
Fun with Ms. Hollis
Slumber party! It didn't last...we all actually got too hot!
zip line
From a branch...still this thick after a little melting!
The neighbors...this is why pine trees are bad!
Our friend Dallas from across the street
The bird feeder on day 2
Block of ice from the slide
Lexi sledding on day 2 - so fast!
Jack's version of sledding - he was too afraid to go down the hill.
When you are driving around downtown checking out the damage and you see a green train, you stop to get a picture.
Downtown Aiken - Laurens St.
Downtown Aiken - The Alley
Our Church - St. Thaddeus
Random damage
This is what South Boundary looks like. There are pictures like this all over SC for sale - it's pretty popular.
Just 2 weeks after a fun day in the snow, we get ice...and lots of it. There was no snowfall, but the entire ground was covered in white. It's ALL sleet....all ice. We still went out to play. Snow angels aren't possible because Lexi just rested on top of the 4 inches of ice. Sledding was treacherous because she went so fast I worried I wouldn't catch her before she went in the lake. Snowmen weren't possible because apparently little balls of ice do not stick together. But...it's an experience AND as of right now, we still have power. Enjoy the pics and video!
This is what you sound like sledding on top of 4 inches of ice at a high rate of speed hoping that your mother will drop the camera and catch you before you go into the lake.
Poor birds
Not sure how you measure this, but it's thick!
What your face looks like sledding on top of ice
Our feet, deep sleet
The sleet angel you could hear (feet sliding), but couldn't see (she didn't even crack the surface).
January 30, 2014...snow day in the south. We worried that all we would get was sleet once the deck was covered in 1/4 inch of ice. But, right before we went to bed, the snow started. We got a day out of school with 2 inches of snow and spent time enjoying the fun. It was Jack's first time to play in snow, and I had to drag him inside...red face and all. Enjoy the pics!
