To say it snowed today would be technically accurate, but only in technicalities sake.  Coming from the land of snow, ice, and windchills that would make most people shiver just hearing what they are, I’m a bit more cynical about snow preventing anyone from doing anything.  Yet, this morning upon sleeping in, I was aware of one simple fact – my in-laws didn’t seem to care we were sleeping past 7:30am.  Then I heard, “did you look outside yet?”

Snow was falling from the sky.  Maybe a light dusting was one the ground – but the key word in that part of the sentence would be “light”.  In our house, “did you look outside yet” usually means everything is snow covered.  What was happening outside this morning was more of a “hey, there is snow falling from the sky” sorts of exclamations, followed by a “it is too warm to stick but it’s trying.”

Yeah, we’re all technical in our house.

Anyway, G got up and told me to go back to sleep.  I happily did because between the insomnia before we left on the trip and the change of time zones – my sleep has been a mess.

I finally got up a few hours later to find everyone up and engrossed in their own activities.  I filled my coffee cup with crappy coffee (my in-laws standards have even slipped where coffee was concerned) and checked in with G.

“So what’s the plan today?” I whispered. “Did I screw things up by sleeping late?”

He shook his head, then got up to go to the kitchen, in a move of “follow me so we can talk”.  I did and learned that because it is snowing and cold that my mother-in-law did not want to go outside.  So no one cared that I slept.

“I thought they wanted to do museums today.” I was a bit perplexed at this total 180 in what they wanted to do. I mean, that’s all I’ve heard since before we arrived is how we would spend way too many hours walking through museums on Friday. (I have a limit in how long I can be in a museum and still enjoy it. I need processing time as I go, else it just all starts blending together.)

I was assured it was just an excuse.  “I think we broke them yesterday by walking over 7 miles,” he commented as he walked into the living room.

How priceless!  We walked too much the day before.  Fuck, I could have kept going. Or at least stopped for some Starbucks and to regroup, then kept going.  But, all that time was too much for them.  Too funny.

As the morning went on and the little snow on the ground melted, G and I suggested we hit the museums in the afternoon.  They seemed game but rumblings were made about lunch, etc.  So we went to the store for some sandwich items.  We figured we’d shop, let them get their shit together, then go to the museums after some lunch.

Nope.

We came out of the store to find it sleeting pretty good.  Nothing was sticking but it was quite unpleasant.  And people were driving like idiots around us.

“I don’t think we’re going to the museums today,” I commented to G.

“Yeah, I don’t think that they are going to want to go now – with the walk to the metro station being almost a mile.”

We came back to the place we are staying with the lunch.  Sure enough, the tide had changed.  We were staying in because of this horrible weather.

Yeah, not the horrible weather – more like my in-laws needed a rest day having walked over a 10K the day before.  Instead of admitting defeat, they decided to hide behind the few snowflakes that were falling. Tomorrow all will be better, they say.

Better or not, I’m not spending another day holed up in the house.  There are things to photograph, dammit! And history to show the kids!