Snow on the Unami
So much for the warmth of El Nino here in the Northeast. This past weekend brought the area's first snow of the winter - and in grand fashion. Between two and three feet of light fluffy snow blanketed the entire region.
I didn't brave the full strength of the storm with my camera on Friday night or Saturday. Like many people, we stayed inside and read a book or watched a movie. It's interesting how many people were looking forward to being locked inside for a day with all obligations cancelled. The storm provided what we're often unable to give ourselves - a relaxing weekend day with nothing to do.
While the storm was a full raging Nor'easter on Friday and Saturday, we awoke on Sunday to that special feeling of a sunny day after a snowstorm. The sky is impossibly clear and blue. The sun is bright and warms your face even though it is only 32 degrees. There is no wind - everything feels calm, still, and quiet under the blanket of snow. And, if you are up early enough, no tracks anywhere - just an expanse of smooth white snow.
After digging out, I spent a little time photographing at the Unami Creek. I found out how hard it is to climb down a 20 foot bank filled with three feet of drifted snow - only slightly less hard than climbing back up!
The image above comes the closest to conveying that "feeling" of the day after the storm. The landscape is simplified. The mounds of snow only give hints at what is underneath. There are so many shades of white in a snowy landscape - and the shadows are unmistakably blue. Next time it snows more than a foot - get up early, go outside, and really see and feel what is out there.