Are We Walking to Alaska

Are We Walking to Alaska
Are We Walking to Alaska - A True Story

Friday, January 4, 2019

Almost Didn't Have Christmas

What a time we had this year - storms with winds over 60 mph - heavy rains beating down, and then the power went out.  About a week before christmas!  But wait - the neighbors behind us have power - we can see from our vantage point on the top of a hill that almost everyone around us has power - except for the four newest houses - all in a row - us and our three neighbors.

We wait - and wait - get updates from PSE - then the bad news - we are a small outage - a total of 59 people affected (our four houses and some houses across the street and up in the woods) and we are LAST on the list to be repaired - expect power by Christmas Eve, 6 p.m.

We braved a day and a half, but with an all electric house - we soon became so cold we couldn't stop shivering even with layers of clothes and lots of quilts.  The temperature in the house got down below 40 degrees.  We borrowed camping coolers, bought ice and stuffed our food from the fridge into the coolers. But what about our freezer and the huge purchase of meat from the butcher that we had just made.  Fortunately our neighbor just behind us had power and let us run a heavy extension cord to his porch outlet and up into our back window - the freezer was saved!!!!
But we are almost icicles by now - so to the internet on my phone to find lodging.  A nearby Air BnB on Lake Whatcom is available - so we stuff some things into a suitcase and off we go - in the dark of the night - warmth - a soft bed - hot shower - at last we warm up.  So much nicer than a motel.
A very sweet room, with a large shower - and  breakfast items waiting for us in the fridge
The view was amazing - even though it poured rain the entire time.  This would be a wonderful place to come in the summer to enjoy the lovely yard, patio and Lake Whatcom across the street.

PSE kept us informed and kept moving the time up for our return to full power and after three nights and four days in the BnB the power was back on 19 1/2 hours earlier than they originally predicted - Dec. 23 at 1 p.m - we packed up and got home fast as we could.  

We still had gifts to wrap - and Christmas Eve to prepare for - and all sorts of chores to get the fridge and house back in order.  But we made it.
 Our grandson Ben loves Christmas Eve and came up to help us do the table and prepare the food for the festivities.
 We loaded treats on platters, made dips and got out the Lefton Holly dishes that we have had now for well over 40 years - adding pieces along the way.

 Lori made a chocolate house - that baby is solid chocolate!!!!!  And she and I had made the snow candles the day before the power went out - good timing on our part.
 Ready for the crowd - would you like a cookie or a candy - the cheeses, meats, dips and crackers are on the other end of the table - along with plenty of eggnog.


 Snow candles with the lights off and small candles burning bright inside.
 Our family in WV sent each family ornaments and we opened them on Christmas Eve.  Don got a baseball glove with ball - of course, and he loved it.
 Mine was the sweetest Grandmas's Cookie jar ornament.
 One family got a Darth Vader for their tree - to go with other Star Wars ornaments that they already have.
And last was a Silver Stream ornament, just like their very own, real-life Silver Stream
Our Son-in-Law Jason is a magician with the laser cutter and made a Washington State ornament with the Alaska Flag cut out - perfect for the state I grew up in (and where our oldest daughter was born) and our home state now, Washington.  Marvelous.
It was a glorious Christmas Eve - and early the next day everyone was back for Christmas gifts and a delightful brunch - which I didn't get any photos of - but be assured - it was wonderful, beautiful and so much fun.  The Christmas that almost wasn't.

9 comments:

Lorrie said...

Wow! So glad you got power back when you did. That was some storm. We didn't lose power, but heard that further north on the island, people were without through Christmas. The Air Bnb looks like a nice place to hang out and stay warm. The ornaments look like they were thoughtfully chosen.

Kim said...

Your no electricity story does indeed have a happy ending. The B&B you stayed in is gorgeous isn't it. Beautiful decor and such a fabulous view. So glad you were able to enjoy Christmas with your family. Love the table setting and that chocolate house....yum! The ornaments for each particular person are a great idea. I would imagine a lot of thought and love went into selecting each one. Hope you enjoy a beautiful new year, JoAnn.

Granny Sue said...

It looks like the very best of times, even with the unexpected vaca in the middle of preparations! The table is beautiful, and those snow candles, what a great idea. Loved all the ornaments, so carefully chosen for each of you.

Mary said...

What a time you had! thankfully all worked out so well and everything from the amazing food to the snow candles looked awesome. Fingers crossed no more lengthy power outages this winter - but of course you now know where to head for a relaxing respite any time you want to take a short break, haha! If we come your way again JoAnn we might consider that lovely B&B too!

Happy New Year.
Hugs, Mary

Debra She Who Seeks said...

OMG what a terrible time you've had of it! That must have been the same storm that hit British Columbia and took out the power for a lot of people there too. So glad you still managed to pull off a fabulous Christmas celebration though! I want that solid chocolate "gingerbread" house!

Rose said...

What a thing to happen at Christmas...but I bet it made it that much more fun once you got to go home!

Kay said...

What a pre-Christmas adventure! We lost power but just for 8 hours. (It was very sobering as they warn about a possible mega-earthquake.) But your Plan B accommodations look great. What a lovely spot!
Christmas eve looks wonderful. How in the world do you attack a solid chocolate house? It's very nicely done.
Happy new year! I do hope you make it down our way again this year. It would be great to see you and Don again.

Angie said...

JoAnn - I love a happy ending. I am sure it was stressful while you were in the midst of the situation, but from your post it sounds like you handled it well. (Kinda like being refused by the innkeeper but accepting the stable, eh?) My mouth is watering from the pictures of all the goodies, and I am off to see if there is still a glass full of eggnog left in the fridge. Happy New Year to you and yours!

Small City Scenes said...

Whew!!!!
MB