Snow? What Snow? It's Paddy's Day!!!!

Paddy's Day (10 seconds of parade) but mostly fun dancing and tunes!

<------WATCH very short VIDEO with Session audio and parade footage!

Well... I know I write a lot on my blogs that people don't read, but if there's anything you should read, it will be this story as it's quite the... well... crazy one.

So, I had planned to go to NYC for Paddy's day for quite some time now. I wasn't about to let anything break my plans.
Including a slight little ski accident. Well, not really little... I tore my ACL. Damn.
So, that happened the Saturday before this big impending weekend.
I STILL HAD to get there.
So, the trip was still on. I worked hard all week getting a good and sturdy brace that would keep me from getting hurt.
Well, it's kinda a shitty one, but the best I could get.

So, Friday comes along. My flight is scheduled to leave at 5pm. Skies are clear. Can it be?
Text comes in from Mom.. check flights. Text from Allison... hope you make it here. Skies are still clear. What?
Get to the internet... all flights, buses and trains canceled to New York City.
AHHHHHHHHHH!
I didn't believe it so I went to the airport. It's true.
I went to the train station. Also true.
Didn't both going to the bus station because they told me on the phone it was true.

What to do?
get in the car and go.

So, I did... bum leg, mandolin, pack and all.
I got just about 20 minutes outside of Rochester and boom... white out. Not for long though so, I just figured it was some slight flurries. With help from Michael, my mother, my father and Charlie and a random cop, we determine that via Albany (rather than through Pennsylvania) was the best route, but it was rumored that Albany already had 2 feet of snow.

Neh... can't be. Keep going.

So, it really wasn't too bad. I was tired and wasn't expecting the drive so... I had to stop and rest and did this about 55 miles outside of Albany. Yeah... got back on the road and lemme tell ya... I have driven in some scary shit before... most remembered was when I was 16 over the Monarch Pass in Colorado in a white out with my two little cousins in the car. Ok, so this topped it. My best bet was to get lucky and be behind a plow. At this point, my goal was to make it to the albany train station by 6am to catch the train to NY. It was 10:30pm. At one point, it was snowing wet snow so bad that I was leaning out my window flicking the winshield wiper constantly. I couldn't get off because the exits weren't plowed and I would have gotten stuck. So, only choice was to keep going... at no more than 17 or 20 mph. Yeah! Crazy!

So, I couldn't see a thing and was coming up on a rest stop... I got off and OH SHIT! it was not plowed! Only hope was to drive straight back onto the truway. Those of you who know the NYS Thruway rest stops know the go (in order) parking lot, then the building, then the gas station. I made it to the gas station and got stuck. I stepped out to snow up to my knees. No joke. I cleared my windshield and then did the rocking thing that usually gets my car out. No go. I just say there thinkin... Oh shit... I can't dig myself out with this leg and I'm stuck.

Next thing I know... :::rap::::rap:::: on the window. (Imagine HEAVY southern accent.

Ew was certainly entertainun meee thare. Ew need sum healp?
I graciously accepted as he puffed his cigarette and kicked snow away from my tires. He then proceeded to push me all the way straight onto the truway. I'm on my way... 22 miles to go. It was 1:30ish am.

I came to the split for our big highways and the one I had to go on was not plowed. So a bunch of us waited there for a plow which came and kinda, like little ducklings, led us down the expressway and cleared our path. I had to take the exit and then it was only 1.5 miles to the train station. Oh but it was an unplowed in about a foot of snow. yeah... that was crazy... needless to say, I pulled into the train station, looked at the guy and basically swore saying "I can't believe I made it here." He was so nice, saw the mandolin, asked me if I wanted to play... he had his guitar. I said to come find me, but I fell asleep and don't know if he did. I parked my car at 3:30, spent about 20 minutes knocking the sheets of ice off my car and from behind my wheels and rolled onto the train at 6 am.

There were some crazy people headed to the parade and I played mandolin for them... so fun.

Ok, so you think the story might be over, but wait until you hear what happened on the way home!

I got into NY, got to Allisons, showered and YEAH... guess who was right at that parade, in the sunshine, just as planned! MEEEEE!

Ok, the weekend was just awesome. Saturday afternoon, met a bunch of Allisons friends out with her and we went to several different pubs and watched a session and a couple different bands who were so fun. Everyone I met was just fabulous.

Sunday was a rough start, but very good. Andy came into NY and we had a great dinner... accidental bacon incident that need not be discussed. ick. BUT... great salad though!

So, headed to O'Neill's and 11th street and just had a blast. The music was beautiful, as usual.

Ok, so you thought the story was over. Nope.
I went to head home on monday... took the train up to Albany... where, needless to say, I arrived in a minor blizzard. I say that because anything was minor compared to Friday.

Got in my car... was so excited to get home at a decent hour. Nope, car wouldn't go above 40 without shaking enough to blend a milkshake. It was crazy. I pulled off... nothing open. I was just calculating the redulous hour I would arrive home if only able to travel at 40 the whole way home when a rest stop came up... I went into the station at the rest stop and the guy there directed me to the TA 14 miles up (this is a truck stop... for truckers that is... not me)... ok... so I arrived there and batted my eyes at the trucker clerk and asked him if he might be able to look at my car. He handed me the phone of some guy who he thought would, but that guy was so obviously drunk on the phone we thought it best not to have him fix my car. Just then, Seth walked in. Seth said... "The Boss here?"... the clerk said no... he looked at me and said "drive yer car 'round back"... so I did... I got out, grabbed my mandolin (figuring I would be there a while) and turns out he's a bluegrass fiddler. He wanted to hear a tune, of course. He worked on my car (which he couldn't get up in the air because his jacks were too big and he had to use mine)... he fixed the tire, came inside, I played him a tune... oh right... all the women were huge and all calling me "hun" and "babe" with toothpicks and straws hanging out of their mouth. It was great... I sat by the fake fire and dead deer head in the diner and played. So, anyway, played a tune for Seth... went went for a quick spin to see if it was ok... it was... not great, but doable and I could hit up to 70 or so, so that was good... he handed me his number wishing for me to come visit him sometimes soon... yep... so... anyway... I was on my merry way and made it home at 4:30. Slept in until 6 and went to work. So, that was less than 10 hours of sleep the whole weekend. I'm tired now, but doin' alright actually.

What a blast! thanks to everyone!

Smiles, Jess

**** more pages of pictures below ***

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