Muschamp Rd

The storms of November remembered

Front yard under a cover of snow

We just got back our power. It had been out since early this morning. This was the second Sunday in a row with no electricity. We’ve lost power many times this month, once for about 36 hours which really got me down…

Today’s storm brought over eight inches of snow to Deep Bay. Usually we don’t get much snow right here down on the water, but we definitely got snow today. I went out this morning and took some pictures while the snow was still falling. Several bushes collapsed under the weight of the snow.

Collapsed Butterfly Bush

Previous November storms were all wind and rain including the one that took out our power for two days. I eventually walked to Bowser which had power. My grandmother’s house in Union Bay always seems to have power. The biggest storm took down several cement power poles which also blocked access to Deep Bay by road.

Another Butterfly bush covered in snow

Denman Island was without power for even longer as was Port Alberni. There isn’t much to do in Deep Bay at the best of the time, even less when you are alone in the dark. I’ve played a lot of guitar. I’ve also spent a lot of time working with Excel when I had battery power on my laptop. I’ve done a lot of reading especially the last 24 hours after my fingers really started to hurt so I read from Totally Guitar instead.

A still flowering flower box now covered in snow

This storm covered the beach right up to the water’s edge with snow, but I also took pictures during the biggest windstorm which shows the height the water came up to on our sea wall. I also took many pictures after ‘the seaweed storm’. I’m in no hurry to go for a walk in this storm, though I went for walks during and after some of the previous ones. This time I wasn’t home alone.

Extra high tide washing floatsam ashore

Christmas lights on my mom's house

I just went and turned on our Christmas lights. I had only put them up the night before which was clear but cold. It is starting to get windy and our walkway has iced over. My mom is watching the news instead of the football, I don’t know how long I’ll have power. That is one of the reasons I haven’t put up the pictures I took during previous storms. The loss of power, internet access, even telephone service frequently hasn’t helped my job search which has been a spectacular failure.

Our cat warming by the stove

When I was young we lost power a lot too and people in Deep Bay would often come to our house and play cards. We had some kerosene lanterns and a wood stove so we could even cook. Now most people who live in Deep Bay year round seem to have generators. Fred doesn’t let the weather bother him, he knows how to stay warm. Sometimes he curls up right under the stove to warm up before returning to the couch.

Here are two of the many pictures I took of the waves crashing in front of my mom’s house during the biggest wind storm, which was a couple weeks a go now. One of many storms that have hit Vancouver Island this November.

Waves crashing in front of my mom's house

The wind whipped surf in Deep Bay

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  • http://www.muschamp.ca/ Muskie

    Well I’ve just come in from shoveling snow in the dark and the wind. I had gone out and shoveled snow after lunch and cleared a larger than ever patch from our driveway and walk.

    The powers that be never plowed our road but my mom managed to drive home from work in Comox. She wanted to turn her car around so we went out shoveling. Even though not much new snow had fallen my formally bare patch had drifts above my knees. After 30 minutes of shoveling and not much progress the car ended up about where it started and my mom pretty much determined she wasn’t going to work tomorrow.

    At least we still have power.

  • http://www.muschamp.ca Muskie

    Well I’ve just come in from shoveling snow in the dark and the wind. I had gone out and shoveled snow after lunch and cleared a larger than ever patch from our driveway and walk.

    The powers that be never plowed our road but my mom managed to drive home from work in Comox. She wanted to turn her car around so we went out shoveling. Even though not much new snow had fallen my formally bare patch had drifts above my knees. After 30 minutes of shoveling and not much progress the car ended up about where it started and my mom pretty much determined she wasn’t going to work tomorrow.

    At least we still have power.

  • http://www.muschamp.ca/ Muskie

    For the third time in under 24 hours I was out shoveling our driveway. It is all for nothing, my mom is not going anywhere in her new car until they plow our road. They haven’t plowed it in all this time.

    People have stopped by to complain to us while we were shoveling. These are probably the same newly arrived residents that are adamant that no non-single family home developments should be allowed in Deep Bay. They seem to not equate the lack of year long residents with the lack of services or clout in complaining when a storm knocks out the power or access to the highway or both.

  • http://www.muschamp.ca Muskie

    For the third time in under 24 hours I was out shoveling our driveway. It is all for nothing, my mom is not going anywhere in her new car until they plow our road. They haven’t plowed it in all this time.

    People have stopped by to complain to us while we were shoveling. These are probably the same newly arrived residents that are adamant that no non-single family home developments should be allowed in Deep Bay. They seem to not equate the lack of year long residents with the lack of services or clout in complaining when a storm knocks out the power or access to the highway or both.

  • http://www.muschamp.ca/ Muskie

    It’s December now so of course it is pouring down rain. It isn’t windy though, that is what causes the worst problems. The ocean isn’t bad maybe one foot swells, no white caps.

    Of course as soon as I wake up I’m worried the power is going to go out. All I do is worry. I don’t enjoy being home alone in the dark.

  • http://www.muschamp.ca Muskie

    It’s December now so of course it is pouring down rain. It isn’t windy though, that is what causes the worst problems. The ocean isn’t bad maybe one foot swells, no white caps.

    Of course as soon as I wake up I’m worried the power is going to go out. All I do is worry. I don’t enjoy being home alone in the dark.

  • http://www.muschamp.ca/ Muskie

    The wind and rain is back. High tide is suppose to be at 10:56 AM today and gusts of wind are as high as 50 Km per hour on parts of the Straight of Georgia.

    I’ve seen 70-80 Km per hour gusts before, but the waves seem higher than the storm in November that wiped out our power for days.

    They are breaking closer to shore too.

    Huuna and I will be staying indoors.

  • http://www.muschamp.ca Muskie

    The wind and rain is back. High tide is suppose to be at 10:56 AM today and gusts of wind are as high as 50 Km per hour on parts of the Straight of Georgia.

    I’ve seen 70-80 Km per hour gusts before, but the waves seem higher than the storm in November that wiped out our power for days.

    They are breaking closer to shore too.

    Huuna and I will be staying indoors.

  • http://www.muschamp.ca/ Muskie

    In between helping people I don’t know and trying to find a job online, I went outside at around the time the man on TV said would be high tide.

    Of course Huuna thinks it is all great fun, but it is really windy. Much windier than the storms that took out our power in November. Waves aren’t breaking on our sea wall, nor have any logs been tossed over it. So I’ve seen it wetter and windier in Deep Bay in previous years, I still wouldn’t want to be outside though.

    We even still have power, but losing power is one more thing for me to worry about. And I already worry far more than is healthy.

  • http://www.muschamp.ca Muskie

    In between helping people I don’t know and trying to find a job online, I went outside at around the time the man on TV said would be high tide.

    Of course Huuna thinks it is all great fun, but it is really windy. Much windier than the storms that took out our power in November. Waves aren’t breaking on our sea wall, nor have any logs been tossed over it. So I’ve seen it wetter and windier in Deep Bay in previous years, I still wouldn’t want to be outside though.

    We even still have power, but losing power is one more thing for me to worry about. And I already worry far more than is healthy.

  • http://www.generasian.ca/ DWong

    I missed the storms …but heard all about it whilst in China.

    While jetlagged over in southern China, I decided to pen out my thoughts on what I consider the ugly side of the Chinese. The Asian notion of face and race for success …all translated through my experience from both sides of the coin.

    So, while all my BC friends and family was braving the snow and cold, I was in Guangzhou with Premier Gordo… preparing entries for my new blog – “the UGLY Chinese Canadian” Blog.generasian.ca .

    And Muskie, your blog was one of the first to make my blogroll.

  • http://www.generasian.ca DWong

    I missed the storms …but heard all about it whilst in China.

    While jetlagged over in southern China, I decided to pen out my thoughts on what I consider the ugly side of the Chinese. The Asian notion of face and race for success …all translated through my experience from both sides of the coin.

    So, while all my BC friends and family was braving the snow and cold, I was in Guangzhou with Premier Gordo… preparing entries for my new blog – “the UGLY Chinese Canadian” Blog.generasian.ca .

    And Muskie, your blog was one of the first to make my blogroll.

  • http://www.muschamp.ca/ Muskie

    You seem to forget your password every time you try to make a comment. Might I suggest using some tool to keep track of them. The Opera browser has “the magic wand” built in which does just that.

    We currently have no power and this storm was worse than the previous ones. This time a half dozen cement tiles were blown off our roof. I’m in Nanaimo at Serious Coffee. They have free wifi and I was able to check my email, which is important for a job searcher like me. I of course got yet another rejection email, well one and a half really. But one company I’ve had discussions with may have a position for me yet…

    I looked at your blog once or twice. I’ll have to subscribe to the RSS feed to truely follow it. My blogroll is really prestigeous so you’ll have to wait for that honor. ;-)

    It is truely unfortunate the way some people choose to act, especially when they hurt others and cause no end of problems. I’ll undoubtably write more on this again. I will also write more about the storms including posting more pictures of busted trees, fences, telephone poles, high tides, waves crashing etc. etc.

    I have two or three blog postings on the drawing board, and I’ll fix your comment to have a link to your blog. It is all about incoming links. ;-)

  • http://www.muschamp.ca Muskie

    You seem to forget your password every time you try to make a comment. Might I suggest using some tool to keep track of them. The Opera browser has “the magic wand” built in which does just that.

    We currently have no power and this storm was worse than the previous ones. This time a half dozen cement tiles were blown off our roof. I’m in Nanaimo at Serious Coffee. They have free wifi and I was able to check my email, which is important for a job searcher like me. I of course got yet another rejection email, well one and a half really. But one company I’ve had discussions with may have a position for me yet…

    I looked at your blog once or twice. I’ll have to subscribe to the RSS feed to truely follow it. My blogroll is really prestigeous so you’ll have to wait for that honor. ;-)

    It is truely unfortunate the way some people choose to act, especially when they hurt others and cause no end of problems. I’ll undoubtably write more on this again. I will also write more about the storms including posting more pictures of busted trees, fences, telephone poles, high tides, waves crashing etc. etc.

    I have two or three blog postings on the drawing board, and I’ll fix your comment to have a link to your blog. It is all about incoming links. ;-)

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