Mom, What's Hail?

Just two days ago, Benjamin asked me what hail was - I had mentioned it, but had forgotten that he had never seen it. Sweden, a land without thunderstorms, stands in direct contrast to Colorado, where thunderstorms roll through daily. Annika, Benjamin and I began our drive to the cabin just after an enormous hail storm covered the ground with at least an inch of hail. In all the years of coming to the cabin, I have never before seen so much hail. Where the road wasn't white, it was green with aspen leaves knocked down by the hail. Fortunately, we missed the downpour, but the road was washed away, and had enormous ruts - glad I took a 4-wheel drive with extra insurance from the rental company!

Of course, with the downpour, hail and thunder, the power and phone were out, and the water, too, since the pump runs on electricity. A & B weren't too keen on staying overnight with candles and flashlights. Even after a dinner in town, power was still out, so we opted for a hotel. (My cousin, Diane, and her friend Ann were happy in Lou's cabin with candles, wine and romances - and reported that the power eventually came back in the middle of the night, some 10 hours after the storm.)