Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Duck! It's the First Snow!

Today, we are expecting something close to a foot of snow (30cm), after the US has already been hit pretty hard.  I scoffed a bit when some school districts (east of Montreal where I like to go skiing) pre-emptively closed.  It is funny because Canada gets a lot of snow, so these folks should be used to it (unlike DC drivers, for instance), but they are a forgetful lot as the first big snow is always a challenge.  The city seems to forget each year how to remove snow (has to be removed, not just pushed to the side since it will not melt away until April, more or less).  The drivers forget how to drive in the stuff, and pedestrians forget how to manage the snow as well. 

After the first big fall, everybody then remembers and manages to make it through the winter without too much anxiety.  Indeed, I am hoping that people learn quickly as I am headed to Ottawa tomorrow to discuss Australia's participation in the Afghanistan missions with their Defense Attache--it is about 1.5 hour drive that is usually uncrowded and non-eventful.  I am hoping the snow is cleared by then, and it should be.

The good news is that the ski hills might be able to open sooner!

1 comment:

Ben T said...

To be fair, we in DC tend to drive erratically regardless of the weather.