The View From Maybelot

[bill_g]

Ice is always beautiful to look at, but no fun to drive in.

[pipistrelle]

I want to say that’s rime. Trying to learn this stuff.

[jemcanada2]

That’s beautiful!!

As long as you get to stay inside keeping warm.

[Frater I*I]

That’s beautiful!!

As long as you get to stay inside keeping warm.

Isn't ice shorts and t-shirt weather up in Canada....

[Maybenaut]

I want to say that’s rime. Trying to learn this stuff.

I don’t think it’s rime, which forms in little white tufts. This is clear ice (or was, it’s gone now). It looks white because it’s back-lit by the sun. But up close it’s clear.

[AndyinPA]

Beautiful, but ugh.

We got very little from the same storm. They were predicting 1-3; we got maybe 1. They said we were in a snow hole. Every direction around us got more, some a lot more.

[Maybenaut]

So.

We took a drive over to our property. The road up the mountain was closed. The Sherriff’s deputy said he only had control over the Shenandoah County side of the ridge (the border between Shenandoah and Page Counties runs along the top of the ridge). He said the Page County folks might turn us back. When we got to the top, the Page County Deputy told us to check with the fireman a bit further down the road.

The fireman told us our house was still standing, but we might have lost an outbuilding or two. He let us proceed.

Our house was relatively unscathed. The fire came up to the patio on one side, but otherwise stayed away. It completely surrounded the cabin, but didn’t touch it.

Our metal barn was a complete loss. We had some $$$ tools in there that are gone, but, you know, whatever. It was all insured.

Overall, we are very, very lucky. A number of homes on the mountain were lost.

Here are some pictures.

The barn:

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The interior of the barn, including our brand new wood splitter.

IMG_8729.jpeg (238.88 KiB) Viewed 2902 times

The cabin from the back deck of the house.

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The house from the road to the cabin.

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This log caught fire and rolled down the hill; it came to rest against the gas line that feeds our propane on-demand water at the cabin. So lucky this didn’t catch.

IMG_8732.jpeg (289.17 KiB) Viewed 2902 times

[Volkonski]

Wow! Glad the main buildings are safe.

[bill_g]

Wow! I am so happy for you. This is a good outcome.

[AndyinPA]

I'm glad it wasn't too bad.

[realist]

That's overall great news.

[northland10]

[pipistrelle]

Was there propane in those tanks? That stuff is usually looking for an excuse to burn.

Sorry about the wood splitter (IIRC you were happy how easy it made things), but very happy Maybelot and cabin were spared.

I used to think of fires as primarily a western thing, but with the smoke alerts last year into NY, and the fire in Shenandoah ( ) I've learned my lesson.

[FiveAcres]

We never had to deal with wildfire loss, but did lose an old outbuilding due to a wind downburst. (I had just hung up with a friend saying it the wind storm wasn't that bad, and heard a loud bang. I looked out the windows and saw the the outbuilding had been flattened. Had a brisk time moving the horses to another field so they weren't near the debris field.) The insurance company gave us a check based on the digital photos. That paid for the dumpster for the debris and probably quite a bit of the small shed that we got to replace the outbuilding.

[jemcanada2]

[Whatever4]

That’s utterly amazing.

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

[June bug]

Hallelujah!!

[Foggy]

Wow, you were lucky! Thank goodness!

[MsDaisy 2]

Wow, you were lucky! Thank goodness!

[Maybenaut]

Talked to the insurance company yesterday. Everything will be covered. I’m supposed to hear from the adjuster today. We need to make a list of everything that was in the barn. There was quite a bit of stuff, but we’ll be able to do that.

[Frater I*I]

Talked to the insurance company yesterday. Everything will be covered. I’m supposed to hear from the adjuster today. We need to make a list of everything that was in the barn. There was quite a bit of stuff, but we’ll be able to do that.

Don't forget to include the Picasso...

[bill_g]

Yeah. Picasso* made some good shovels and stuff. He pal Dali made soft implements that bent real easy.

* His girlfriends were wierd looking though. No accounting for love.

PIcasso costume.jpg (75.68 KiB) Viewed 2658 times

[Maybenaut]

The electric company was by. They said there’s a power pole down that will have to be replaced before we get power back. They may or may not get to it today. There’s fire all over the place still, so I understand.

We were going to head down to Southern Kitchen in New Market for lunch, but decided to stick it out here. There was a rumbling and big crash up above us just now, which I suspect is a landslide. The hillside further up the mountain is rocky and all those rocks were kept in place with kudzu vines, which are now, thankfully, gone. So the rocks are sliding down. Hopefully VDOT will replace the kudzu with something else. But for now we’re worried if we leave they won’t let us back in if the road is bad.

There’s still a fairly large active fire burning in the National Forest behind our place. We’re keeping an eye on it, but for now the winds are fairly calm, and it seems to be creeping along the ground rather than burning in the tops of the trees. All our ground cover is gone, so unless the wind whips up, we should be OK.

It’s going to start raining here at 10:00 pm, and we’re expecting an inch in the next 24 hours. That ought to help.

[chancery]

Wow, you were lucky! Thank goodness!

Lucky, yes, but also organized and well prepared.

There's a proverb: "Luck is infatuated with the efficient."