wordless / wednesday

L - iphone / T - phone pic

Snow is coming tonight. / bunny enjoying a sunny spot.

white blanket / white veil

L - Nikon / T - Nikon

"In winter we lead a more inward life. Our hearts are warm and cheery, like cottages under drifts..." - Henry David Thoreau

refreshed / thrilled

L - Nikon / T - Nikon (photos taken by friends)

Both of these are photos were taken by friends. I think it's interesting how evident the thrill of snow shows on our face.

The snow is still on the ground and for many those smiles are fading. For Atlanta to have a snow last almost a full week before melting I would say is a record, but I don't know that for a fact. Fact or not, most southerns are SO ready for it to be gone – but not me. I like it. Even today I felt refreshed to walk out in the woods, being careful of my step, hearing the crunch/squeak of the snow beneath my feet, letting the strong scent of pine mixed with brisk cold air fill my lungs as I walk the trails along the creek. But I know it's difficult for many people and for this I understand their delight to know that it will warm to a pleasant 50 degrees tomorrow and remain that way for all of next week. I know, even as thrilled as Taylor was to have it snow in Athens, she is ready for it to melt. It's probably not much fun walking to class being fearful that you will fall and embarrass yourself or worse - tear a hole in your favorite jeans.

snow day / snow day

L - Nikon / T - Nikon

Everybody likes a snow day don't they? Well how about two or three? I, for one, enjoyed staying at home – a nice fire and good book, some more time in the studio and I'm good. Others would say they had cabin fever by the second day and might just go stir crazy by tomorrow. Two snow days in Atlanta is a lot and for school children there will be a third. When the mail is not delivered you know it must be bad right? With temperatures in the teens again tonight that ice on the roads is not improving.

I do have to admit it was nice when a friend came over today and took me out to eat at a Mexican restaurant, Starbucks and for a hike in my favorite woods - The Big Trees Forest. I felt alive out there. The scent of pine was strong and the air so refreshing. It really did me good. / three days off from school! i think that's a record in the south. we're missing the first days of our new semester but you don't hear me complaining. however i do have to say it's hard to hang out with people when you can't drive. a walk in to town for pizza proved treacherous. haha. and i'm too scared to sled on sheer ice. but days off from school... that's cool.

warm / cozy

L - Nikon / T - Nikon

As I drove to work this morning it looked like glitter swirling about in the air - it snowed as the sun tried to peek through the clouds. It's cold here in the south - cold enough to turn the water off for fear of frozen pipes. Did you get snow this weekend? /i felt like a child again building forts with blankets and furniture - i created a cozy little hide-away for studying in. finals are this week . if only the snow had stuck it might have given me an extra day to study.

snowgirl / snowangel

L - Nikon / T - Nikon

This is what fun in the snow in the south in February looks like - from atlanta to athens.

where i've been

solo post - L, Nikon

I drank in the blue sky, then closed my eyes... Stretch, float, fly.

More to come on autumnsun08.blogspot.com - hopefully sooner than later.

Sugar / sweet

solo post - L, Canon video stills

Sorry I haven't visited you in a few days but as you can see I haven't been home, in Atlanta. I've been to the top Sugar Mountain, NC and down, several times - 13 hrs on skis, no rain, warm feet, 15 runs on the slopes, 17 trails, 2 falls, no wipe outs - sweet. Success. I was worried my older body would feel it. It's been 13 years since I last skied but after the first run down it didn't seem like it had been but a couple. That exhilarating feeling was not foreign to me - the wind against my face, the fresh air, the soft powdery snow underneath my skis gliding so smooth, the rhythm of swishing back and forth, and the rush of speed when you finally feel confident to point the skis straight ahead.
The weather was perfect - temperatures cold but comfortable, the glare of the sun just under the clouds, very slight winds, and no rain! It was wonderful! This old body is doing ok. I'm ready to go back.

reality / perception

L - Nikon / T - Nikon

We got a little bit of snow last night and however little... it's still pretty. But it's very very cold (for down south). It was 16º this morning and going down to 12 tonight. I know that's no big deal to those that live up north but for here it's pretty unusual. Snow is too, so of course schools were closed and work delayed opening until 11am. yeah! It was nice having a relaxing breakfast of oatmeal and playing outside with Evee. / sad - no snow here. this photo i took of kodi last week reminded me of snow though.

2 inches / 7 inches

I wanted snow all winter long... I can cheat and get at least 2 post out of the snow photos can't I? Our snow didn't amount to a whole lot - maybe 2 inches - but I sure did enjoy it's beauty while it lasted. T was so afraid that they wouldn't get any in Athens but they did. Wish I had that day over again.  I would have driven up earlier in the day to take her the camera. (I've had her camera since November and I've gotten pretty attached to it), and we would have gone on grand photo adventures in the snow - she would take epic photos and then our toes and hands  would be so cold that we would walk to a warm and cozy little coffee shop, thaw and talk, then go out for more. Oh well. / sure wished i'd had the camera. we got 7 inches of snow here and classes canceled on Monday - i was so happy, but i was wanting the camera. 7 inches is a lot of snow but in addition to the fun (everybody was out making snow angels, having snow ball fights, building snowpeople) it caused a lot of havoc. trees were falling down everywhere - a lot of people were without power. a huge branch fell from a tree in front of our dorm and the power went out for 2 hours (strange only on the 4th floor, my floor). i don't even have a flash light, so i drew by candlelight - a fake candle that mom gave me, we can't have real candles you know. it was all exciting. i was glad i was at school instead of home.

SnOw cold / SnOw happy

The weather people kept saying it would snow but I just wasn't believing it - it had been raining really hard and steady all night and all morning and was well above freezing. But just as they predicted it began snowing around noon and snowed so thick and pretty for about 4 hours or so. I've been wanting snow all winter long - March really came in with a bang. I didn't really get any good photos and this one that I got of the cardinal all puffed up trying to stay warm was completely by chance. I was talking on the phone to T and looked out the window and saw this beautiful cardinal - he was really voicing his complaint, or confusion, about the weather. This one shot made my day. There's not much prettier than a bright red cardinal in the snow. / waking up to a call from my dad saying that it was snowing in atlanta was not the best alarm clock. athens was still soggy and dreary from the mere rain the night before. my roommate and i trekked to the dining hall and battled sleet as we left. on the way home mom also called me telling me of their good fortune (way to rub it in!). but about thirty minutes later it started snowing outside good ol' morris! it's been steadily snowing ever since. my computer faces the window towards the street and it's been amazing to see the transformation of a scene we see every day. my friend chris decided to pay a visit and pelted my window with snowballs, beckoning me to let him in downstairs. three intense snow fights, two cups of tea, and a snowman later.. it's still snowing! maybe they'll cancel school, haha.

update: classes canceled tomorrow. yes!

one year ago / snow

“The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event”

Dashboard (desktop weather on a mac) shows it's snowing right now in Atlanta but I look out my window and I sure don't see it. I'm like a kid - I'll go to bed tonight and wish for snow. Little children say if you flush an ice cube down the toilet you will awake to snow the next morning and if you want an even a better chance at a "snow day" then also wear your pjs inside out. Since we don't see it much down here we get a little excited when it does snow - it is a "magical event" indeed. I remembered it snowed last year around this time and when I looked back on the photos it was, in fact, the very day - Jan 19. It was so pretty - the kind of snow that blanketed everything. I got so much joy out of taking pictures of the girls playing in it - all their inhibitions aside, they let me take pictures of them in their natural silliness. I can imagine T and her friends on campus - what fun! And I'll miss out. I remember what a blast we had at college when it snowed - the campus was one big playground. So for tonight's post I asked T to send me her favorite from that day (if she had them there at school). / i only had a screen capture i had made from iphoto - this is just a small section. snow days have forever been the dream of young children, but its definitely not lost by the time you "grow up". Last year's snow day was long awaited and it was a lot of fun to play around in it and take pictures with my best friend. we did learn, however, that it's pretty hard to operate a camera with gloves.