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…a coloured umbrella…this is puzzling indeed
Not as bad here as we expected…hope it’s alright where you are.
The BBC seem determined to kill us all off, there’s always "worse to come"…
I’m currently still in my home and haven’t been swept away by any flash floods yet. I worry Zoz’s might need a pair of oars for her peugeot on her drive down to mine tonight for festival week though!
Some of the wind damage to some of the marqees at Cheltenham look pretty horrific though! As long as the course is intact!
Living in northern Virginia, still technically the south, I haven’t experienced many harsh winters. Typically there’s one or two real storms, nothing major. This season, Mother Nature has decided to exact punishment upon the mid-Atlantic.
First, the Blizzard of ’09: December 19th-2 feet of the white stuff.
Once all of that had melted, which took several weeks: February 3rd-6".
Then the Blizzard of ’10 aka Snowpocalypse aka Snowmageddon, February 5th-6th-30". DC got 21", parts of western Maryland got 40", breaking all sorts of records. My street still isn’t plowed, and they’re actually running out of salt for the roads.
Just when we’re starting to dig out, here comes another: February 10th- at least 8" is in the forecast, with up to 20" possible. It’s already snowing pretty heavily where I am. And of course, high winds.
(pardon the imperial measurements)This is all wreaking havoc with the racetracks. Just look at the list of cancellations-http://www.equibase.com/premium/cancellations.cfm. All the training tracks/gallops are covered in snow, so there’s plenty of incredibly anxious Thoroughbreds who are tearing down their barns right now.
You, certainly are getting some awful weather at present.
With that amount snow "power cuts" must be a real worry.
I would imagine grocery shopping is a nightmare also.
Regards – Matron
Bit concerned because my son in law is in Indianapolis at the moment; I know his flight out on Sunday had to be diverted from Chicago to Washington [or vice versa; my geography isn’t too good]. Hoping he doesn’t have a problem getting back on Friday.
So far we’ve "only" gotten 10" today, but the winds are upt to 60 mph:shock: and the snow drifts are 4-5 feet. Conditions are so bad that the counties are stopping all plowing and road-clearing until the "whiteout" ends. I’m lucky that my power and heat is still on, but it isn’t supposed to end until late tonight. Crazy!
It does make the landscape beautiful though. There are
meter
-long icicles hanging off some of the roofs, I kid you not. Everything is so pristine and white.
This isnot
my car, thank goodness, but it gives you an idea of what we’re dealing with out here.
http://media2.myfoxdc.com//photo/2010/02/10/windgustmywxphoto_20100210123731_320_240.JPG
I hope the situation has improved for you since you last posted but I wonder if you have heard about those even less fortunate further north and west. Particularly those up at Cheyenne River S.D….who’ve been without power, water, heating seemingly for weeks, snowed in and with little support, although I gather the Red Cross are doing all they can and other Native American groups, thanks to the internet, have provided some help although with problems of their own.
3rd world situations here for people who never had much to begin with….and not something the rest of the world, or perhaps Americans even, ever get to hear about….Fine historical part of the country is N. Virginia although the whole of the America’s has much to offer in this regard of course, mostly rather bloody.
Do you partake of it’s history at all? I would have to if I lived there as I feel that, being such allies in the 20th Century where we seemed to have depended on them so much, perhaps we all owe a lot to the period and the efforts of those taken to reunify the country during the 1860’s.I did once hear the ‘Rebel Yell’…
It’s much quieter out today, still very cold. Luckily our power didn’t go out. It’s supposed to be a sunny weekend.
Yes, I have heard of the situation on the Indian reservations, and actually our TV news has been doing investigative reports into it. One pundit even raised over $100,000 towards restoring their infrastructure. The problems there aren’t going to be permanently solved via monetary donations. The tribal councils are incredibly corrupt, there is very high unemployment and poverty, and it will require much more attention from the US government to really fix these issues.
I have been to several local battlefields, both from the Revolutionary War (Yorktown) and the Civil War (Manassas, Appomatox, Winchester, etc.). There’s so much history in this area, and even more further south around Richmond. It’s also hunt and steeplechase country-folks around here like to say that "Virginia is for Horse Lovers", and there’s probably more old steeplechase courses (dating back to the 1800s or even 1700s) here than in Britain.
…oh that’s good to hear that some support is on the way and that notice is being taken of their plight. Corruption exists everywhere doesn’t it… wherever there’s people….and it’s effects are felt harder by those who already don’t have much.
Yes it sounds like a very fine country there where you are, full of scenic beauty I imagine, and with your interests in horses you sound like you are in the right place.
I’ve been reading a little about the Civil War and we had that great Ken Burns epic documentary a few years ago which told of so many personal stories….
I should very much have liked to see those places you mention, amongst so many others. I try to search on google maps as I go along to get my bearings although it’s not always easy with so many changes. Are you near to, or have heard of Trevillians? or Trevillian Station?just out of curiosity, are you from Virginia yourself? or moved there from elsewhere?…
oh I have another question..
these steeplechase courses you mention from centuries ago, are there any still in evidence? like an outline, or all built over now?…thanks for your replies
No, never heard of Trevillians.
I was born in Houston, Texas, but moved here with my family when I was very young.
About the steeplechase courses, it should be noted that many were/are just parts of large private estates used with permission by the hunts. While the National Steeplechase Association itself wasn’t formed until 1895, unsanctioned meets took place across the country, beginning in the late 1700s, almost immediately after chasing became popular in England. Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had jumpers in their racing stables. The Civil War greatly affected many of these, and sanctioned steeplechasing in VA didn’t really begin again until after World War I. I am unsure how many of these earliest courses are still in existence, but most have probably been turned into suburbia.
…that’s interesting, thank you. I had never thought of the area before as historically jumping country and with such powerful connections.
You seem to have a lot of knowledge in this area, which is good for us here I think, and I was wondering if you research the subject for pleasure or have been actively involved in the racing industry for a long time…?Trevilians, or Trevilian Station as it was known then was part of a campaign in 1864 to destroy the Virginia Central Railroad.
It’s a tiny place now, little more than a few buildings I think, situated just east of Charlottesville and west of a small town called Louisa. This may be nowhere near where you are.
There was a 2 day fight around the Station area noted for the near wipeout of a young General Custer’s forces who got caught within the 3 sides of a triangle of Confederates. His cavalry had to be rescued in the nick of time but the station was destroyed along with the railroad.The area has been described as ”brushy country with sporadic clearings”. Good hunting country I imagine…..
…and better than living in Houston I would think
I just research for fun, there’s quite a bit of interesting resources available on the internet. I’m not really involved in the industry. I do visit the nearby tracks semi-regularly, although with this weather I haven’t been in a while.
Charlottesville is quite a ways away from Fairfax, right below the Blue Ridge Mountains.
For more information on Virginia jumping, I recommend http://www.centralentryoffice.com/ and http://www.st-publishing.com/cms/. The blizzards have cut into a few of the point-to-points, but the real season doesn’t start until late March.
..thanks for the links. I especially liked the first one as it gives a map with locations of the various race meets. I think Montpelier races would be nearest the Trevilian area I mentioned earlier.
I found a nice photo of Ben Nevis on the other link – jumping a huge timber fence. Maybe the Hunt Cup…quite spectacular.
…still snowed in Miss Woodford?
We’ve got the driveway shoveled out, and it’s all beginning to melt now. Hopefully the high of 40 degrees Fahrenheit tomorrow will help that. Things are slowly getting back to normal.
DC got 21", parts of western Maryland got 40", breaking all sorts of records. My street still isn’t plowed, and they’re actually running out of salt for the roads.
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