Last Ferry Off Island

Just about 30 years ago my infant daughter, Veronica, and I were going to Martha's Vineyard, our first vacation! The weather was going to be nice that weekend so I packed light with carry-on luggage and no car.

It was a great weekend; we only needed hooded sweatshirts as we walked along the Gay Head Cliffs. But Monday morning came too soon and my sister, Mary, dropped us off at the ferry. I thought we'd be home by lunchtime!

But then I realized something was going on -- everyone was buzzing around. "Big storm. No more ferries." But I had to get home, I had no more supplies for the baby.

So we got on the Uncus, a freight ferry. It was rough and we had to sit on the floor under a table. We finally made it to the mainland, and spent the next 4 days with my brother, Bob, and his family in Plymouth.

The Blizzard then hit with full force after we were safe.

It's a trip I'll never forget. I love telling my daughter how we survived the Blizzard of '78!

- Charlann Holland

A Horse Survives The Storm

"Wow were do I begin! I was living in Hull (a.k.a. Nantasket Beach) at the time and in 6th grade on Kenberma Street, ocean side. The most remarkable moment was when I was watching the ocean come right down our street, kind of scary in a way. My neighbors were supposed to leave for Texas that next day and they had a horse. So I guess my parents allowed them to put the horse on our enclosed porch to our house because it probably wouldn't have lived through the storm.

We had to get rescued from our house on a boat. It came right up to a front door. Our basement had water up to the ceiling!! You opened the door and saw it. Needless to say we lived at the middle school for a week and then went to an aunt's and couldn't live in our house for over a month and the horse and its owners eventually left for Texas. My Mom now lives in Florida and keeps a picture of the storm on her fridge."

-Susan (Homsy) Fabiane

A Marriage Test

Heard you were looking for "the big storm" stories. I have a good one.

It took me four hours to drive backroads from North Quincy to our newlywed apartment in Bridgewater. My husband had come home from work sick that day and slept through the storm.

I slumped through the door sometime after 6 p.m. and the first words I heard from the couch were "gee, you're kind of late today -- what's for dinner?"

My response would not be appropriate for a family show.

-Sharon Nery

Trying To Be Helpful

Shortly before the Blizzard of '78, my wife and I moved into an apartment in a three-decker on a tiny street in Lowell. During the storm, I offered to give my new landlord a break and do some of the snow-blowing for him.

When he came back out, I had cleared off walkways, driveways and street parking spots and moved tons of snow into the side yard. He was quite pleased until he realized that I had buried the heating oil fill pipe under a pile of white that reached a second floor window.

-Bill Kilgore