Time Out. A winter storm gives Kansas City pause.

Globetrotting Grandpa

5 years ago

The recent snowstorm that hit Kansas City was great for pictures but not so great on the 50,000+ people who lost electrical power (myself among them). The snowstorm pelted the midwest with some of the highest tallies in recent years. My hometown of Kansas City was hit with between 4 to 10 inches depending on the part of town. It wasn’t the dry stuff either, but a wet clumpy slush that was great for snowmen but havoc on trees. Much of the power outages were a direct result from falling limbs. The powerline that runs to our house was snapped in two and we were without electricity or heat for four days.

Lovely on the eyes but not as pleasurable if you are viewing it from a cold, dark house.

In the 11 months since I started this blog, this is the longest I had gone without posting. I really felt like I had severed a lifeline. I spent the last four nights in motels and friends homes worried about our pets at home. (We visited during the daytime to feed them and clean up and made sure they had blankets, but it never felt enough. They always seemed confused as to why we were no longer around. I love traveling and I know that being away from home can make you feel rootless sometimes but this felt different. Maybe because whenever I am on the road somewhere I am reassured in knowing I have a home to return to, and for a while, I didn’t. I felt lost in a city where I grew up.

The thick winter air occludes the KC skyline. Only the venerable union station remains unshrouded.

My problems though reek of privilege. I am blessed to have a home that I eventually returned to, many do not. Normality tends to overarch detail. But once you are separated from the essential you see every little thing. I missed my bed, my computer, the way my dog Jinxie sleeps (and snores) under the covers while I am writing my blog. The smell of Frank cooking his delicious Italian dinners or the melodious sound of Janie singing to herself while she is working around the house. A hundred working parts that make my home special to me. I missed all of it. I am grateful to be aware of the details. I also know the loss I felt for a short period is felt by thousands who don’t have a home to go to. I don’t want to lose this mindfulness as I endeavor to find a way to help those who have experienced the same.

The branches look like cracks in the sky.

Since it is a wet storm, the roads have been pretty good. The temperatures didn’t dip too far below freezing so the streets were mostly ice-free.

I took this shot from the Silent Unity Building where I work. The Unity Village campus is photgenic year round but is especially majestic in wintertime.

Above two pictures are from the Country Club Plaza. An outdoor shopping area modeled after Seville Spain.

The liberty memorial. A monument to the men and women who served in the first world war. The nations official WWI monument and museum.

Union Station is lit up in red to honor the Kansas City Chiefs football team which has a championship game this weekend against the New England Patriots.

The Chiefs game will be taking place in Arrowhead Stadium. The forecast this weekend calls for more snow and very cold winds.

The animals at the KC Zoo react very differently to the snow depending on their natural habitat. The Polar bears are at home but the Cheetahs are a bit wary.

Despite the conception many people have of the Midwest, KC is actually built on rolling hills. Cars often become involuntary toboggans.

The round building in the middle of the picture is the Sprint Center. This is a venue for concerts and occasional sporting events.

These three shots were taken in my back yard. You can see in the middle picture how many downed branches we got. I will be pretty busy once the snow melts.

The headless men statues at the Nelson Art gallery look like they almost have had a snowman’s cranium grafted on to them.

Thank you so much for sticking around these past few days despite the blog’s “Blackout”. I am back with a new sense of appreciation for all I have.

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