I apologize for this past weekends party running unmanned…
and for being missing for the past few days.
I am playing catch up as we speak
and I will get by to visit all of you over the next couple of days.
On Thursday evening- the power went out and we woke up on Friday to
nearly 2 feet of heavy, wet snow.
We have been without power
(and without internet) for several days.
The storm brought a record amount of snow for our area of Northern California.
It did A LOT of damage in our county
-one of our neighbors even had a tree fall into their house.
Thankfully, no one was hurt.
Remember these pictures from the summer?
ahhh….
Well, this was how it looked on Friday.
I know this is probably usual for a lot of you-
but not for our area.
There were 3 big trees down in our driveway
and also 3 big old trees in our back yard that will need to be cut down due to splits.
and more snow fell on Friday
The morning was consumed with removing the downed trees from the road,
shoring up the broken trees so they didn’t fall and hit the house
& raking the mounds of snow off the roof
Unfortunately, we didn’t get that load of snow off the pergola…
We were standing in the living room when there was a big crack and then a crash.
:-{
The pergola fell to the side from the heavy weight of the snow and crashed into the house
through one of our french doors.
Thankfully
no one was bringing wood in –
the path went right underneath the pergola
and no one was standing near the door when it fell.
My husband chainsawed the pieces he could to be able to
patch the door temporarily but, the door is damaged beyond repair.
We are hoping to be able to save much of the wood
and the pillars from the pergola for rebuilding it-
This pergola has been here for several years..
been snowed on many times and it has alway been fine.
Not a creak. Not a bow.
Nothing…
We get snow in the winter but not like this usually-
we don’t have to put away our patio sets, can put fabric or cushions up high, leave the lights up, etc.
But this amount of snow was insane for our area
and fell in such a short amount of time. We lucked out that there was not much damage and thank God no one was hurt.
(2 weeks ago)
(yes, that is my little patio set from my Valentines post was under it-
the glass was broken but the set survived)
Ugggghhhhhh….
Did I mention before that I DO NOT LOVE snow?
:-/
So on Saturday-we decided to head out of town early.
Out of the snow, out of power outages, etc.
and we retreated to my mothers house.
My oldest son’s band was playing a show in Walnut Creek that we were planning
on going to that evening so we just left a bit earlier that originally planned
and packed our laundry!
It was so good to just get out of cold snowy dodge for awhile!
(The ‘band’ goofing off while waiting to play a show last summer.)
I always get excited about the band playing- even though it’s not my kind of music- both my boys play metal music
and I don’t quite ‘get’ it sometimes-
but I always enjoy seeing them play
(I have never spent so much time in bars! Lol!)
It was a great show with lots of moshing and energy.
( No, in case you are wondering, I do not ‘mosh’-
I was tucked safely around a wall and was manning the video camera)
Hope everyone had a great weekend
without snow!
My husband told me to get redesigning the pergola and to think of how many blog posts
My husband told me to get redesigning the pergola and to think of how many blog posts
will be coming in the re build.
He’s hilarious…
He’s hilarious…
I will get by to say hello soon!
🙂
Oh no! That snow really wreaked some havoc on you!!! Falling tree's terrify me, we have many around us and big branches fall off whenever it rains. I'm glad you're ok and it is different for those of us who aren't prepared for freak bad weather like that.
How cool that your son's in a band! My oldest son was the drummer for a band but he works full time now so it fell by the wayside. Have a lovely Monday:)
Oh what a disaster. so sorry to see all the damage. glad to hear no one was injured. such loveliness crushed to bits. Well if it makes you feel any better we are have a whopping snowstorm, again… as I write. Sooo much snow this year in Montréal. My back deck has 5 feet of snow on it. yuck! I hope it melts fast your way.
bonne journée
Caroline
Bless your heart. I hate that happened. I am glad you all are safe and no one got hurt. Spring is coming hang in there sweetie:)
oh so sorry for your bad weekend. We are use to snow but that was ALOT of snow at once. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon. so sorry about your beautiful pergola
Wow, that is an amazing amount of snow!! Looks very beautiful.
I am so sorry about the damage to your beautiful home, Courtney, but I am thankful no one was hurt. That is a lot of snow in a very short amount of time! Hopefully you can rebuild your pergola this spring. It makes me sad when bad things happen to good people.
Take care, and stay warm! I am happy your power is back on!
xoxoxo,
Ricki Jill
Oh Courtney-I am sooo sorry for the damage. We are used to heavy snow and, unfortunately, snow damage here..but I have never gotten used to it..nor do I like snow. I hope you can save what you can to use to rebuild your pergola. Glass and wood can be replaced. Sadly, the old trees cannot..and that is a shame. Hang in there- Hugs-Diana
Oh Courtney I am so sorry to see all the damage that was done. But thank God no one was hurt! Take care, Martina
Wow … I cannot believe the amount of snow you've had and just how much damage it causes in your area! Round my parts, that's how our outside looks for several months! So happy that nobody was injured but my goodness, I cannot believe the damage! Take care of yourself! xox
So sorry about the damage from the snow, but so grateful that no one was hurt.
I am so sorry about all that you have been going through, Courtney, and I am glad that no one was hurt. It's a shame about your trees and I know you had to have been devastated over losing that beautiful pergola. Soon life will calm down and repairs made. Mother Nature has been downright nasty this winter!
Sending you a big hug.
XO,
Jane
What a mess! Sorry for the trouble! Please don't ever worry about getting back to me! I don't need a snowstorm to keep me from getting to all my comments! There's never enough time!
Ugh! Sorry to hear about your pergola and French doors. At least none of you were hurt. I never knew that Northern CA got that much snow. Geesh! Hope it warms up soon. Your hubby sounds like mine. Too funny! Well, good luck in the redesign.
xo,
Michelle
Oh man! The havoc the weather makes! We had tornados touch down here through out the wee hours. We spent the morning in the basement. I bet your so over the snow. But, the pictures are beautiful.
xo,
Sena
Oh wow, what a an unexpected sight, your pergola I mean and yeah, that much snow for where you are! So sorry about the pergola and mess. Thank God no one was hurt! I have no doubt that the new redesigned pergola will be amazing and am looking forward to those postings! 🙂
xoxo,
Ellen
GASP! oh my gosh! I bet you're so mad at that snow!!! I'm glad to hear everyone was ok… and it sounds like your husband will be able to create you a new pergola which is WONDERFUL.
Cindy
Oooh girl my arbor looks like your's and never had a problem with it until this year…all my gutters are bends and broken..trees split and just up rooted..way too much snow and way too heavy for us…Did I tell you I love my mountain but also HATE snow..ha ha!! Hugs and smiles Gloria..ps so much for sunny calif.
OMG! I can't believe your pergola caved in! Thankfully no one was hurt but I can understand the inconvenience of it all. Living on acreage we sometimes hear huge cracks and then thumps and then wonder which tree just fell! Sometimes it's in our property, sometimes next door. I see why you hate snow.. I don't blame you.. we don't get snow where I live but I hate winter! take care, Maryann
Oh Courtney! I am so sorry! What a mess and how frustrating! I'm so glad no one was hurt. We usually only get light dustings of snow but everyone once in awhile we get the dumped upon, power out, trees down kind so I know how that goes! On another note, I love that you go to see your boys play in their bands and I'm thinking one of these days you might just have to jump into mosh pit! 🙂
Vanessa
Yikes! That's awful! It must have been quite a shock. I know it would've really freaked me out. Thank heavens nobody was in the path of destruction. Being without power AND having the house crash around you? I feel for you my friend, I really do! Fingers crossed we'll segue right into spring quickly! Vanna
Hi Courtney~ I am so sorry about that happening to your house!:( Thankfully noone was hurt! HOpefully warmer weather will be arriving soon~And I just noticed you have a blog button and Im putting it on my blog right now!!;)Hugs,Rachel
French Farmhouse 425
Oh, dear, that was a lot of damage. Thank goodness no one was hurt.
I have a sweet 93 year old aunt in Walnut Creek, one of my favorite CA places. My son also plays in a band and I love to support him, but I can't say it's my favorite type of music.
Dianne
Oh I'm SO sorry about all the snow damage. I never knew that it could snow like that in California! Yes, this whole winter has been insane for snow – across the country! I'm looking forward to spring, though I know it's at least a month and a half to two months away for us still 🙁 Please call your homeowners insurance company, you should be able to get everything that is/was attached to the house replaced and paid for, labor and materials.
Michelle
New England Style
That's terrible. I hate that you lost your pergola and door. We had several snows this year and they were large ones but I guess it was too cold for the snow to be very wet. It did not stick to trees at all….which was strange but nice because we didn't have tree breakage. Two winter's ago…we had a ice storm followed by snow and I was awoken in the middle of the night to the sound of falling trees all over the neighborhood. We didn't have electricity for 5 days but yes….still had to go to work…not fun getting ready for work with no electricity. Some part of the city were without electricity for two weeks, rural areas for three.
Hope you rebuild your pergola. It is so lovely.
Glad no one was hurt. Snow is pretty, but it certainly can do some damage. We have had too much of it here in North Texas as well, so I know what you mean.
Oh my goodness, I am so sorry to hear about your beautiful pergola! Glad that no one was hurt! 🙂
Oh, my Courtney! What an ordeal! So glad no one was hurt.
Hang in there-we went thru this a few weeks ago-no power for almost a week and one of my arches my husband built broke! Springs on the way!
Spring is on its way..take care!
Oh that's awful. I would be devastated. That's a lot of snow. We live in CA too but we don't have any snow. So you must be in the mountains somewhere. Our cabin has 7 feet of it. Needless to say we've not been up there this winter. Hang in there. Phil said that spring was supposed to come early. I love your summer pictures. You have a great eye for photography.
Have an amazing week.
I can't believe it broke !! Oh no !
Your garden is so beautiful and your setting lovely. I dream of something like this. I hope it won't be too hard to fix it.
We have snow here and i am getting sick of it. LoL
i have the French Obsession going on right now. i don't want you to miss it.
http://lechateaudesfleurs.blogspot.com/2011/03/french-party-12-and-giveaway.html
My gosh you poor thing. I am so glad nothing happened to anyone that could have been very bad. Let's hope spring gets here soon. Event this SoCal girl is ready for warmer weather.
Wow you had a lot of snow!!! Cannot believe on Valentines day you had your table set outside!!!
Nancy
I feel your pain. We live in New England, so that's what it looks like here, pretty much. I'm so DONE with winter!!
OMG that is an amazing amount of snow. It's cool here again, but a few days ago it hit 86. We need to find a happy medium. 😉
OMG is right! wow, Courtney, glad you're all ok, that's some serious snow damage! We got about 3 feet here and i was kind of worried about our deck, got out and shoveled asap… but bless your husband for reminding you that you now get to redesign the patio — that's fun!
That's crazy all that snow, and your pergola! Glad nobody was hurt. But now you get to rebuild and that's always fun.
Oh Courtney that's just awful! I hate snow too! We live with it for months. It'll still be around for at least another six weeks. Ugh! 😛 Two feet all at once is a such a pain. It happens up here on occasion too. Even though we're equipped to deal with it, it's still a mess! I'm so sorry for you.
Blessings,
Shanna
http://www.revampedfrenchmaison.com
I can't imagine that amount of snow at my house. So sorry for the destruction. I hope you get some warm weather soon, and there's no more damage.
Hugs,
Lisa x
You blog is absolutely beautiful….Just became a follower and plan on visiting often. Wanted to put something on your link party…but too late this week….I recently started a blog of my own and would love for you to visit. I liven in NY in a 1963 ranch home that we have renovated over the past 15 years (ourselves) and a new beach home in NJ that I will be taking my followers on a journey with me while I get decorating this summer….
http://www.cottagelivingfrombeachtoburbs.blogspot.com
Mariaelena
Hi!
I'm so sorry you still have snow… But I love that thanks to blog we know how the other part of the world is living!!! No more snow here, but it's still pretty cold for us (around 40°F, must seem so warm to you right now!!). I send you a little warmth from France.
Magali @ The Little White House
Oh, I am sooooooooo sorry for your snow disaster. I thought the one pillar looked like it was leaning in one of the earlier pictures. I can't even imagine the crash, the snow, no electricity and a smashed door all at the same time. This time of year, I just hate snow. Enough already.
Cindy
Hi Cindy~ Yeah, I see it now in the picture I snapped of the outside just before the pergola collapsed- Wish I had seen it earlier! We discovered that besides the ridiculous amount of wet heavy snow in such a short time-one of the reasons it collapsed appears to be the tree that was next to it had been weighed down and damaged-and fell right onto the side/top of the pergola. It was covered with so much snow, you couldn't tell at the time, but now that some of it has melted you can see it. So frustrating. I am so ready for warm weather!
Oh I am so sorry for you. I am glad no one got hurt. I hope the snow melts for both of us.
After your comment on my post about my pergola, I found yours. Sorry that you lost your pergola and the damage caused by it. We had a lot of snow, but thank God no damage. Just think, your next pergola will be better…because it can be!
Oh no! That is terrible. I am sooo used to snow but nobody likes damage caused by the white stuff. The heavy form is always problematic. I do hope you re-build as it is…was… such a lovely piece.