2011: 10/365 Snowy Morning Sun

10 FEB 2011

Atlanta has seen a lot of snow this winter -- more than we've seen in recent years. Most people seem to hate it; not me. I'm like a kid again when it snows.

When I know the snow is coming, I find myself watching out the window for it. And when it does arrive, I can't hold back. I'm outside, staring at the sky. Enjoying the snow in my hair. Loving the way it covers my yard. It's exciting.

This snow didn't keep the kids out of school like the prior one did. It stuck to the trees, the yard, my car... It left the roads alone -- for the most part.

These are the trees across the street from my house. The snow coating the branches made them look magical. The morning sun lighting the treetops added to the Wonderland quality.

2010: Is That All?

2010 Day 30

30 JAN 2010

The weatherman promised snow. We don't get a lot of snow where I live, so when we hear there's even the most remote possibility, we get excited.

I keep saying we here. I probably really mean I.

Anyway, the weatherman promised snow. So with bated breath, I waited. And I waited. And waited. Finally, the first flakes fell. I cheered. My children cheered. My husband made faces at us. But then it stopped.

I took a picture of the post on my front porch to show what our snowstorm amounted to. What a disappointment!

2010: Big Ol' Letdown

2010 Day 8

08 JAN 2010

For days, we'd been warned about an impending snowstorm. One to two inches, the forecasters said. Not a whole lot, but enough to have a little fun in. People rushed to the supermarkets, bought bread and milk. I got caught up in it all. No bread or milk, but I did make sure I would be able to prepare at least three days of meals...just in case.

The day arrived, and as the day wore on, I saw other locals on the internet reporting snow in their area. I watched as the weather radar indicated the snow coming closer and closer. And when the first flakes started to fall in my neighborhood, my son and I cheered. Then my son promptly put on his coat, hat and gloves and went outside to play in the snow.

It didn't last long. Look at the photo from the day after the "storm". The snow barely covered my yard, and in no time it was gone from my driveway. But my kids still got a day off school -- we didn't get much white stuff, but in the morning the roads were slick with ice.

Who wants to play in ice?

So much for snowmen.

On the Back Road

DAY 62

03 MAR 09

Two days after our snowstorm, the white stuff had melted in most parts of metro Atlanta. Most areas except my neighborhood.

I got this shot on my way home from either soccer or Tae Kwon Do -- to be honest, I'm not sure which. But I always come back from those two activities the same way, and that way is on this back road. Much less traveled, it's always a more pleasant ride than going through the center of town. Even in my little town.

When I was coming home this day, I was surprised by how much snow was still on the ground. It's not a great photo, but I knew I had to get it. And yes, I did stop in the middle of the road to take the picture, but it was okay. There was nobody behind me.

Post processing: Noise reduction, sharpening, selective color adjustments, and border addition.

Snowbuds

DAY 61

02 MAR 09

The day after the big snowstorm, most of the snow throughout metro Atlanta melted right away. Through most of metro. In my area, not so much. The snow was crunchier after an overnight freeze, but still there.

When I took this photo, I was struck by the stark contradictions: the blue blue sky compared to the grey skies of the day before; and the budding tree branches covered in fresh snow.

In post-processing, I cropped, reduced noise, sharpened, tweaked in selective color, and added a border.

It's Snowing!

DAY 60

01 MAR 09

Big news day in metropolitan Atlanta. Big BIG news day. Because on this day, we were hit with a snowstorm that officially dropped four inches of snow in my neck of the woods. I say officially, because we measured six inches at my house about three hours before the snowstorm ended. Either way, it was a lot of snow for us southerners.

The photo is my backyard at 3:50pm. Before the storm was over, that bottom stair in the middle of the photo would be completely covered. Like I said, considering it was the only snow for us this season, it was a big, big deal.

Post-processing included cropping, noise reduction, sharpening, curves adjustment, black and white conversion, and border addition.