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Friday, December 11, 2009

PS: weather/hill report

It's warmed up a bit, and the snow is turning to slush. Mostly drizzling now. Road crew has been sanding and scraping the hill alot, and it seems safe for travel. No ice or snow predicted for the next few days.
VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS IS BEING HELD ON SUNDAY FOR THE NEXT 2 SUNDAYS!
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Still no movement at the Gen Store. Guess new owners are waiting till new year???????? If you know anything, please give me a "heads up." Thanks.

WHY POWER WAS OUT LAST SUN/MON

Got a few inquiries on the power outage, so I did some snooping. Here is what Kent Rees tells me (he lives across the street from me, also on the "flight line.")
Sunday at about 1pm, a Suburu Forrester with 2 adult males came over the hill (which was not indicated as "closed") and soon lost control, careening down the hill and hit the power pole at Joel Meghills house (the last house on right as you go up hill). They hit so hard that though they severed the pole, their car continued to hold it in place. Could have been worse, as they may have been crushed or electrocuted if the pole had fallen. PGE came out and determined that the car was supporting the pole, so brought a truck with boom in to further stabilize the pole until a new one could be installed on Monday. The power was out for about 4 hrs while they did that work. On Monday, about 4pm, they came out with a new pole, and transferred the lines. This took power down for another 4-5 hours. Kent said though the men were a bit sore and rattled by the accident, they stayed and TRIED to control traffic while emergency crews tried to do repairs. The hill was closed completely on both ends Monday while the new pole was installed. The personal toll is really unfortunate, as Kent said that the two were coming down to CS for one more load of house items, as their house was in foreclosure, and they were moving. Also, the Suburu was their only vehicle at this time. So, if you had a better week than these guys, count your blessing. Again, the hill was technically "Open" when they arrived at the top. The county cannot always get out here right away to turn the sign to closed, especially when conditions can worsen by the minute. Don't be one of the big hill statistics.
This report dedicated to Roy.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

IT IS BOO-TEA-FULL!

I was in the Bay Area Sun - Wed, doing the San Fran thing. Tuesday was one of those classic Bay Area Days, 30 degrees in the am, 50 at noon, back to 40 in the evening. Phil and I barted over to Embarcadero station and walked the length of Market St. to Union Square, popping into hotel and office lobbies checking out the Christmas displays. The Poinsettia Tree at the foot of Sutter and Market, amazing, the Polar Bear pond across the street on Market was enchanting. They ice rink was set up at Union Square, and Cirque de Solei had MANY costumed performers dancing about promoting their show playing at ATT park. So San Fran. We went to the Cheesecake Factory on the 7th floor of the Macy's building and shared a Tiramisu Cheesecake (yes, a moment on the lips, forever on the hips) while standing on the balcony taking in the whole Union Square scene. After and great deal of window shopping and no buying (I'm the worst shopper ever) and made our way back to Embarcadero and shared the train with all the commuters. I worked in that neighborhood for 9 years, and it still feels like and 2nd home to me . . .
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Arrived home Wed at 4PM to about 8" of the most beautifully FLUFFY white stuff. The hill was closed, so we cruised out Pasquale, which was icy but safe. Folks seemed to be in no rush. The widened turns from last summers road work greatly improved visibility and travel. It is warm today (40ish) much better than the 15degrees Bill Carter reported to me on Monday. So, now the tree is up, pine cones painted gold, ribbons and branches EVERYWHERE, and looking forward to decorating the firehouse tomorrow for the kids and SANTA on Saturday. Be sure to come on down for punch and snacks, and watch the kids have fun, and tell a friend or neighbor.
Happy Holidays!
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The hill is being used today, but only by the very brave. It's still a bit slick, though blushing up a bit.