When a tree falls....get the hell outta the way

So I've just spent the last 48 hours stuck in a forest in the middle of the antebellum south, during the years worst ice storm.

When a tree falls in the forest...yea yea yea, damnit, IT MAKES A LOUD SOUND, trust!

Sooo, there was ice, sleet, slush, freezing rain, freezing temps -- thus, falling branches, falling trees, falling power lines -- thus, no power, no heat -- yet, that mini-van that was set ablaze by that falling power line did give off some mighty bright glow in the fading daylight. So, a blazing fire, next to a leaning power pole with transformer, across the street from my parked car, in the middle of the WWII-era bunker cabins, lots of smoke...did I mention over 200 international students and staff, many of whom had never experienced an "ice storm" and were dangerously fascinated by falling trees and branches. Ay dios mio...

It's been my experience that whenever I travel abroad, the power goes out. I'm pretty used to power outtages, in *developing* countries [read: it won't be back on for a loooooooonnnnngggggg while, and it'll probably happen every day while there], and even lived through nearly 5 days without power after Hurricane Isabel, but I have never done without power for an extended period of time in a cold climate. And never with over 200 other folks I had just met in a place grossly unprepared for "winter weather."

If ever there was a need for *blackout booty*...Somebody, anybody?! I think I need some help with that...

But I digress. I haven't slept, at least not well, all weekend, kept awake by trees and branches falling on the roof of a dark cabin lacking heat in below freezing temps. Daylight brought evidence -- the place looked like a war zone and the one time I forget to bring my digi cam....I'd never seen nor lived through anything like this before in my life....

We were able to escape this morning and heading back to civilization [read: I-20 West] I come to find out that DOT isn't quite clear on the concept of salt, sand, scrape. I swear trucks were on the road scraping bare concrete, sparks flying, blocking numerous lanes, and the icy lanes? Not getting nare drop of salt, so what exactly were they doing?! Me dunno....

Funniest moment of the day -- my trusty ice scraper broke this morning. It's dug me out of years of snow, ice, slush, frost in DC/MD, but one ice storm in the south and it's had enough...the irony HAHAHA

So why was I in the middle of the forest? I'll get into that later....much later.

[Song of the Day: "You've Changed" by Kimberley Locke]