After being bereft of snow for almost a year and having experienced a unseasonably warm December and January (70 degrees C at Christmas), we finally were blessed (or punished) with SNOW. Officially, we received around 27 inches of snow, but in our neighborhood after the drifts, it felt like more than three feet of snow. Indeed, with three people shoveling, it took us more than twelve man hours spread out over three days to clear our driveway, deck, and front porch. The snowfall began on Friday afternoon and ended on Saturday afternoon. However, the consequences have been dire. School, Montgomery College, and yes NIST were all closed today, granting us another day of respite. Although the cleaning up was harsh, the side benefits included exercise, getting out of the house and off the internet, and actually seeing and talking with our neighbors in person. The sun is out now and very slowly is starting to thaw. For those of you not in this region, here are some photogr