Storm stories
A little Mass confusionat Beacon Hill church
Bill Stephenson, a Fenway resident, was the sole parishioner to brave biting winds and white-out conditions to attend Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church in Beacon Hill yesterday morning. The Rev. Michael Roeske had e-mailed parishioners several times on Saturday to let them know he would be there yesterday, even if the celebration would be a bit less grand than usual. "I live right here; I don't even have to go outside," Roeske said. But the storm kept most people at home. "This is definitely the lowest number I've ever seen on a Sunday," he said.
Intrepid store manager praises 4-wheel-drive
The doors opened at 6 a.m. at Store 24 in Somerville's Davis Square, thanks to manager Dwight Davenport, 40, who left his Derry, N.H., home at 4 a.m. to make it to work. "Four-wheel drive is the greatest thing," he said with a chuckle. In 20 years of battling winters, he said, "this is the worst I've ever seen." He let customers bring their dogs into the store, instead of leaving them shivering outside.
Residents give blizzard good-to-icy reviews
The storm drew widely varying reviews: "I'm loving this stuff," said Jonathan Amory, 26, a robot engineer, yesterday morning as he skied up College Avenue in Somerville toward Tufts University, where he planned to try out a few hills. "If I had my way I'd have this happen every week," the Portland, Maine, native said. But not everyone was loving the weather, especially folks headed for the office. Leah Schneider, 40, the director of graduate admissions at Harvard's Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, headed to work, but first she had to plow through snow-covered steps from the subway station into Harvard Square. At street level, she surveyed the scene, cup of coffee in hand. "I can't believe we're out here," Schneider said. "I feel like an idiot. And it looks like I'm not the only one."
For dog walker, it was Salem 'uncommon'
At 9 a.m. yesterday, Terry Burke, 51, of Salem, was taking her golden retriever, Hannah Rose, out for her second early morning walk. The two went out around 4 a.m., when the sidewalks were still passable. But by 9 a.m. the pair were confined to a small fenced-in area, in front of Burke's apartment complex. "What can I do?" Burke said, as Hannah Rose yelped. "She has to go out." As she looked at historic Salem Common, blanketed in more than 3 feet of snow, Burke shook her head. "Just look at it. I have never seen it like this before."
Hunkered down in hotel minus the room service
The Four Point Sheraton in Hyannis served up a chill to those taking refuge there over the weekend. The power was out in the rooms, driving clientele into the lobby, where they were bundled in hats and gloves with thick blankets draped over their knees. Some reclined on couches. Many complained their television sets were dead. Carol Dinklage, an elementary school psychologist, had driven to the hotel from Osterville on Saturday afternoon. She came armed with two Robert Parker novels, her bills, an electric lantern, and guilt. "I'm a regular wash-ashore. Why can't I tough this out?" she said, wrapping a large burgundy shawl around her shoulders. "I used to be able to walk into storms." But she could not bear the thought of staying alone in her basement apartment. "This is an adventure," she said.
Maine coffee growers grounded at Logan
Eight members of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association were grounded yesterday on their way to El Salvador, where they planned to study coffee-growing. They took a train from Portland to Boston, only to find themselves stranded at Logan Airport -- until tomorrow morning. Most airlines were not offering hotel vouchers, ticket agents said, because flights were canceled due to weather. That meant the travelers had to foot their own hotel bill. Still, the Maine group said, the blizzard was just a wrinkle in their 10-day journey.
Globe staff members Maria Cramer, Beth Healy, Kathy McCabe, Donovan Slack, and James Vaznis and correspondents Janette Neuwahl and Connie Paige contributed to this report. 
