... the blizzard finally began to dissipate during the middle of the night ... watching from my window, i observed the shop air conditioning unit had become a tiny bit surrealistic—or just plain weird—take your pick ...
... school was called, most likely because the crews were to spend much of the morning clearing all the parking lots, side roads and city streets, so john had the day off ... after a nice breakfast (translated: infinite coffee refills) we headed north to check on his camp ... along the way we stopped to examine one of hinkley school's many abandoned buildings, and, i suppose, admire nature's patience ...
... it was nice to be able to remove my watch cap ...
BY JOHN MEADER
... behind these doors, so many stories ...
... i think camp road signs are an art form all their own ...
... although the road had been plowed by one of the year-round residents, it was so icy beneath the thin layer of snow that john decided to not risk the hill in his honda mini-van ... truthfully, with the steepness of the slope and the fact that it's canted sideways, i'd not attempt this unless i had four-wheel drive with either studs or chains ... at times we had to walk in the deep snow to find firm footing ...
... after-the-storm quiet ...
... hanging above us, a "widow-maker" ...
... john's family camp on oaks pond ...
"The land looks like a fairytale."
ROALD AMUNDSEN
... blizzard's reward, an intense blue sky ...
... ascending the icy road, i paused and listened to a whisper of autumn past ...
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
ROBERT FROST
BY JOHN MEADER
... along the river road we stopped by the side one of the flood family's farm fields ...
... perched atop the plowed snow ridge at the side of the road, i decided i'd get a better perspective if i moved a bit closer to the little tuft of grass in the foreground ... of course, i'd forgotten that there is a ditch along the highway and that after a blizzard it would be filled with finely powered snow ... one step and i was up to my armpits ... having to hold a very expensive camera/lens above my head, it was a bit of a struggle to get back to the road ...
... john was laughing ...
... and, of course, i laughed, too ... i mean, what's life if you can't get stuck in a snow-filled ditch every once in awhile ...