22 January 2011

Over the river and through the woods...

No, not to Grandmother's house, just trying to get to my house.
The other day we did get the snow that was promised, and the traffic tie-ups that followed.

I grew up in part of the U.S. affectionately referred to as the "snow belt" because when the storms come through, they get far more snow than any where else.  Sometimes also called the "rust belt" for the damage done to cars (before the technology kept this from happening) due to months of snow, salt and other things on the roads.  This means I learned very young how to drive in snowy conditions.  The key being, slower (but not dangerously so) speed, lower gear, more space between me and the next car, and take my foot off the gas to slow down, don't slam on the brakes and all-wheel drive is great, but not everything.  I no longer live in that area and the folks where I live drive as though they have never seen snow - every time it snows.  And let me tell ya, it's winter a solid 4 months here.  We've had bad weather before.  Here is an example of problems with people who fail to acknowledge winter - and don't brush the snow off their cars before heading into bumper to bumper traffic.  Hmm, I'll never understand this at all.


It is 10 miles from where I work to my house.  That's all, 10 miles that took more than 2 hours of drive time to accomplish.  After about half way home I decided if I was going to be that late, I might as well peel off near the park and take some pictures.  So I drove into the parking area, which had zero tire tracks at this point (but I do own an all-wheel drive car, so I'm good), gathered my camera, hat, gloves, and zipped up the ski jacket to tromp through the woods.  It was snowing pretty well, but I loved the quiet after all that stress on the roads.  My destination was a path that I have been using for a 4 season project.  Here are the first 2 seasons:


And here is the winter version, which had a little surprise:


There's a bridge in there!!  I have never seen that before.  I usually take the photos down that direction, but walk the other way through the park because the river is the other way.  I did not venture down to see where the bridge went on this day.  It was really cold and I was starting to shiver already.  I will go back soon and see where the bridge takes me.  I'm sure it would have been hilarious to see me standing there, completely shocked by the presence of a mere bridge.  It was like a fun reward for pushing through the traffic to get the snow pictures that day.

Colossians 1:11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, 
unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness

Although I posted a sky photo Friday, with very little of anything atmospheric, 
later in the day I saw small rainbows on either side of the FINALLY visible sun.  It was a very unique event.  
I was only able to get a clear shot of one of them at a time.


(Cell phone photo, not fabulous)  The rainbow is on the left on this shot and look - Sun!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.  It's a balmy 3 degrees here today, I'm thinking indoor activities and crafts. 
I'll venture out tomorrow to the vacation expo, time to look for travel ideas!

 M.E.





16 comments:

Jan n Jer said...

That bridge was a surprise...must of been hidden by the greenery before. I hear you on people driving in the snow. Some of them have no common sense! Stay warm and have a great weekend...its cold here too..8 degrees this morning...brrrrrrrr!!!

Robin said...

I love your path series, beautiful photos, especially that winter one.

I see that you also participate in Snapshot and Scripture - you might be interested in the giveaway running now for one of my custom Photoverse prints - the details are below :).

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Shades of Pink is holding a giveaway for one of my custom Photoverse prints - swing by and check it out!

Justine said...

love your shots here and I really like the winter one. Hope you keep warm in all that snow!

Al said...

Very beautiful - woods in the snow are incredible. We see the same thing here every time it snows, people don't seem to know how to drive. And it can snow here from September to June!

Halcyon said...

Beautiful winter scenery. I'm glad you decided to stop! :)

DeniseinVA said...

Absolutely beautiful! Not good for driving though right? I'm glad you got a chance to get out of the traffic for a while to share these gorgeous photos with us. Thank you :)

Natalie said...

I love that idea you had! Take a photo of the same area during all seasons! That is neat to see it differently each time! I may need to try this this year!

Unknown said...

Love your photos. THanks for taking us on your journey. Happy Weekend ME.

Discovery School at First Baptist Heath said...

love your shots..

Great verse!

Liz said...

Love this. I too live where it snows alot and yes people wipe off your windows front and BACK.

Love your shots you gave me a great idea.. go to the park to take some winter shots.

Kathleen said...

I am sorry to admit that I am one of those people who is not used to driving in snow. We recently moved from GA to CT. I've found it all a little intimidating! (I would know to brush the snow off the back of my car, though!)

I love your seasons pictures!

Dorie said...

Beautiful photos of the trees!

Yes, I know how you feel about the driving in snow and people's varying abilities to do so safely...

Cat said...

Your seasonal shots are fantastic! I love the idea of capturing the same spot at different seasons...you're blessed to have such seasonal diversity. I don't know that if I did that it would have such stark contrast as I live in the south! Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving your thoughtful comment - I appreciate it!

heritagemom said...

Hi, I love the winter shot. And your cell phone did a pretty good job, too! It's funny how thankful we are when the sun comes out on our cold and bitter days--and it seems you're in a place colder than mine (Chicago)!!

Blessings,
Christine

Katie said...

I love these shots! And that bridge is neat looking - what a cool surprise! :)

Jessica Griz said...

Oooo I like your seasons project. I keep taking photos of our back yard in different seasons, but I have yet to track them all down and put them together.