First Snow!

We had a mild December, but when the year changed, the mercury dropped, plunging us into much colder temperatures. It's finally begun to feel like winter. And on this day, we got our first real snow!

Flurries were expected in the morning, and white-outs and snow squalls in the afternoon. I thought it might not amount to much, but to be safe, I decided to take the bus rather than my car. I love wintry weather, but just for walking in, not for driving.

This put me on campus at the start and end of my work day, as that's where the bus drops me. In the morning, the squirrels in the elm trees were crazy busy, and the first few flurries were starting as I walked around Old Main. The morning snow didn't accumulate much.

However, by the afternoon, as I was leaving work, it was in full white-out mode. It was snowing sideways and from every direction at once. It was absolutely impossible to take any pictures unless you were under an umbrella or an overhang of some kind; even then, it was tough!

For about an hour, it blizzarded and squalled. Driving conditions were appalling. Heck, WALKING conditions were appalling! Roads instantly became snow-covered and slippery. The bus back to campus slid every time it hit its brakes. I was glad I was not the one driving. What a happy thought, to feel as though one has made the right choice!

And then the snow began to slow down, and with about a half-hour to go before I would catch my bus home, the snow just sort of . . . stopped. And I bustled around campus, taking pictures of some of my favorite places: West Halls, the elms along the mall below the Libraries, the duck pond, the alumni gardens, and the statue of the playing children.

I have to admit that I have missed the snow, and so it was absolutely delightful to be out taking pictures in it. One of the things that I enjoy about our lovely campus is the old-fashioned lamp posts that line the sidewalks everywhere, and so the lamp posts are featured in both of my shots.

The main photo was taken along the mall just below Old Main, looking into downtown. I liked the orderly line-up of lamp posts and the colorful red daysack the one person was wearing. The second photo (see extra photos) was taken in West Halls, with its pretty sidewalks and old-fashioned buildings.

The song to accompany these snowy images is one I've just stumbled across. It's a band I haven't heard of before but I like their sound! And yes, this is how snow feels to me! Glasvegas, with A Snowflake Fell (And it Felt Like a Kiss).