Like I told you before, the Friday before we flew home, the snow came down in big flakes.

I had scraped the ice off about half the drive shortly after getting there, but now it was time to drag out the big gun.



They had a huge, powerful snow blower in the garage, just waiting for such a time. It's a Husqvarna, and built for combat with the elements.



Of all of us, Jason was the only one who knew how to get the thing going. After a short flurry of tweaks on the gears and a pull on the rip chord, it started up in a cloud of smoke and noise. Very exciting stuff indeed. I was dyin' to get behind it and try it out, but Denise's grandson Bryce jumped at it and I didn't want to get in the way. Wouldn't be cool to jack the girlfriends grandson on the first meeting, so I chilled, and decided to record everything for posterity.



Jason gave him a few tips, like how to shift the snow blower from one side to the other, and before you know it he was goin' up and down the drive and the snow was flyin'. Here's a short video showing the progress he made.



I really wish this camera recorded sound, but you can guess it was a loud bastard. Of course, I had my doubts about trying to blow the snow off the drive while it was still snowing, but I was the weird Texan, so what did I know. Anyway, I think it was more about getting to play with the toy than anything else. Gear heads out there will be able to relate.



Jason, Martin and Lynn, Denise's younger daughter, all stood in the garage and "observed" from a distance. The Stella Artois was goin' fast by then, as were other beers to be mentioned later.



Huge fun was had by all... And then we went inside 'cause it was friggin' cold as a witches tit out there.

Next, the swimmin' hole.