Thursday, January 14, 2010

Snow…finally (a wee bit)


My cousin in France told me that it had snowed there last week. I could imagine Paris in the snow, as in the painting below –

Notre Dame de Paris in Snow, Simon Tavik, Czech -1877-1942

My childhood friend who now lives near Toledo, Spain, sent me a picture of her patio under the snow. Snow in Spain! What happened to sunny Spain?



Then last Thursday night, 7 January, our weatherman predicted snow that evening for the metro Atlanta area prompting schools to dismiss children early. Indeed we saw some snow coming down before going to bed. The next morning I had a euphoric moment – I might finally see some snow outdoors. As I was finding warm clothes, hat, scarf, gloves I could imagine tons of snow covering everything in the landscape as in the Russian painting below –


Painting by Vladimir Krylov, Russian, born in 1942

But then once outside I saw the snow was just a light blanket – my daughters’ old toy horse


Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

and the wood pile were barely covered.



I decided to go down to our neighbor’s lake and take a few pictures.


Click to enlarge picture

Some wild ducks were trying to find a bit of grass to eat and a little puddle of water for a swim – not an easy task in the frozen lake.


I walked back to our yard. Everything was still. There was no noise, only the creak of my shoes on the frozen grass.



Close to noon I walked back outside toward the road. It was quite cold, about 24 degree F ( -4.5 C) - which is very cold for Georgia. No cars were driving by. I heard an engine though and saw a truck driving backward. It was backing down the road, with workers feverishly throwing gravel on sleek spots. The truck drove past me and kept backing up toward the creek.



I waved to them, but they never even looked up – the poor crew was throwing gravel as fast as they could. It reminded me of a poem I just read on the Internet:

There are no Snowplows in Atlanta

It was cold, it IS cold
Everything froze.
The engines on the trains froze.
The mail at the post-office froze right in the trucks
and melted illegibly.
The tunnel to France froze
and there are no snowplows in Atlanta. -by butterflyz r free

Since they were backing up towards the creek my husband and I decided to drive down there to take a look. We had not gone even a quarter of a mile when we saw an empty Cobb County Police car stopped with its blue light flashing. We stopped.



I walked pass the empty vehicle to see what was the matter. The Cobb County officer was coming back and told me not to go any further as it was not safe on the road with the icy spots. I said I would be careful and kept walking. In the ditch, ahead, was a police car with its driver waiting for the wrecker to dig him out. The ditch is quite deep there.






We heard the policeman had to stand 2 hours by his car waiting for the crew in a gravel truck to clear the icy spots on the road – there are no snowplows in Cobb County either. The police car in the ditch was from the city of Dunwoody, which is in DeKalb county, not Cobb. That’s curious…




Since we could not pass the wrecker to drive to the creek we turned around and went looking for lunch somewhere (the plumber had not shown up to fix our kitchen because of the snow.) We drove to “Louise” a small breakfast and lunch restaurant close to Kennesaw Battlefield Park.


We almost did not stop as there were no cars in the parking lot but it was open. We entered and saw no other patrons – none by the fire or the cash register or having lunch.



We sat and checked the menu on the wall.



My husband decided to have the chicken liver with creamed potatoes, broccoli casserole and corn bread. I chose the salmon patties with spinach casserole, lima beans, and corn bread. As you can see these luncheon plates cost $5.95 each (which is about 4 Euros, or 3 pounds 66.) It’s specializes in standard southern food.



As we finished our meal one more patron showed up – the mailman. I took a picture of a photograph hanging on the wall. It was of this restaurant in the 60's when it was called “The Old Confederate Trading Post” and on a snowy day. If you look on the left hand side of the photo, just inside the frame, you can see the reflection of the sitting mailman.



We then drove around the corner to Kennesaw National Battlefield Park. It was closed. Everything closes in Georgia when snow appears. It was still in the low 20's so I hurried to take a few shots to remember the park under the snow (even though some people up north would not call this “real” snow.)

(Don't forget to click on the pictures to enlarge them.)




Today the temperature is almost back to normal, it is 52 F (11 C) right now. The snow is about all gone.



-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-



On a more serious side – please support the efforts of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) for their work in Haiti. They have already treated more than a 1,500 people since Tuesday’s terrible earthquake. We need to help them provide more assistance to the survivors, many with serious injuries. Please click on the link here – and you can give with a credit card, even a very small amount.

33 comments:

Vicki Lane said...

It's all relative, isn't it? I whined about all the snow we were having (18") till I talked to my sister-in-law near Buffalo and she told me their snow was waist deep and she couldn't remember what the ground looked like. But they do have snow plows and school goes on almost no matter what!

Pondside said...

Isn't it interesting, how even just a little snow brings about a silence that is particular to snowy days everywhere.
I enjoyed that little tour around, especially the look at the diner and it's menu.

""°o.O Nancy O.o°"" said...

*** Coucou Suzanne ! :o) ***

Alors ça y est la neige et lke froid étaient bien en Géorgie !
De bien belles photos que tu nous offres Vagabonde ! Merci ! :o)
J'ai bien aimé celles du lac et des canard, celle du cheval en bois ancien jouet de tes filles, et les photos dans le restaurant ... tu m'as transportée jusqu'aux Etats Unis ! :o)
Merci pour toutes ces découvertes !!!!

*** BISES et bonne continuation ! :o) ***

Vagabonde said...

Hello Vicki – you are right it’s all relative. I am bragging about 1 inch of snow then I go and read blogs in Canada and Scotland and see how much snow they have – and I’d like to hide my photos!

Vagabonde said...

Pondside – I thought it would be fun to show the menu with its various choices. How do you like the “cream potatoes” ? (that mashed potatoes in English.) Thanks for visiting.

Vagabonde said...

Nancy - C’est bien sympa de venir me voir comme ça – et tu viens de loin, mais toi tes photos ont beaucoup de soleil et pas de neige. Le prénom Suzanne est jolie, mais ce n’est pas le mien – tu croyais que je m’appelais Suzanne? Cela ne fait rien – tu peux m’appeler comme tu veux.

Deborah said...

Vagabonde, your posts are so full of stories, details, photos - they're wonderful!
We (I speak here as a Canadian, and not as une étrang%egrave;re in France) do sometimes laugh up our sleeves about the havoc that a little white stuff causes in Vancouver, or Atlanta (!) but these climates are also humid. That makes a thin covering of snow very icy and treacherous. Up in the Great North we might have snow tires and lots of experience, but we still have tons of accidents.
Enjoy it while it lasts. I loved your daughter's old toy horse, by the way. I would have given anything for one when I was a kid!

Paty said...

i understand you people in USA and Europe are freezing, but for me this pictures with all that snow are simply amazing, as i never saw snow, only in pictures.
if you ever come to Florinopolis please tell me , I´d love to help you plan your trip.

lunarossa said...

Lovely photos! Thank you for stopping in my blog. The Haiti earthquake has really upset me a lot. Maybe because we have earthquakes in Italy every now and then too and it is terrible to know what it means to be affected by them. All the best. Ciao. A.

DJan said...

Thank you for taking me along on your adventure! I love the duck pictures, and the visit to the restaurant. It is amazing that a little bit of snow like that could bring everything to a stop! Again, your post was so much fun to read (until the reminder about Haiti), and I agree that we must all contribute something to help.

Friko said...

The less snow there is the more fuss people make. In countries like Canada, where snow lies deep for months people take it entirely in their stride. The UK has practically come to a standstill because of the two or three weeks of hard winter weather.
I have to say that I have had enough of it now, the thaw is starting and life is slowly getting back to normal. We have not been out in the car since before Christmas. Feeding the birds is costing a fortune.

Elaine said...

I enjoyed your tour of the snowy countryside. It is all relative, and it is a big deal when Atlanta gets that much snow. No one is equipped to handle it because you don't get it very often. Because of your humidity and your temperatures hovering around the freezing mark, it makes for some very treacherous driving. I have been in southern Missouri when they had an ice storm, and the light covering of ice made walking across a parking lot a nightmare. Here when the temperatures get near the freezing mark the roads get very slippery too, and even though we are equipped for the snow it makes driving difficult. I enjoyed your lunch at the diner. We love to go to little places like that.

""°o.O Nancy O.o°"" said...

Hello Vagabonde ! :o)

Excuse-moi sur le com précédent ... je voulais écrire "Vagabonde" au lieu de "Suzanne" (je n'étais certainement pas bien réveillée ! hi hi hi :o)

Merci pour ton message chez moi... J'aime beaucoup quand tu me donnes des recettes ! :o) Je viens de noter les deux recettes dans mon petit cahier et je vais les essayer ! :o) ça permet d'innover et de gouter "autrement" les patates douces... Merci Vagabonde, tu es très gentille ! :o)

claude said...

Hello Vagabonde !
Une belle balade hivernale.
Il a beaucoup neigé à Paris et un peu partout en plus grande ou moins grande quantité. Ici nous avons eu en deux fois 10cm mais la première fois les 5cm ont gelé et la circulation n'était pas aisée.
C'st beau la neige amsi assez enqiquinant quand il faut prendre la voiture.
Mon chèque pour MSF est prêt, Je le posterai lundi. Il faut aider ces pauvre gens. C'est un véritable désartre ce qui vient de se passer là-bas.
Ils n'avaient déjà pas beaucoup, maintenant ils ont plus rien.

Roger Gauthier said...

Oh catastrophe, de la neige, que faire, que faire, que faire ! La voiture de flics qui a « pris le clos » (Québécisme)... ma foi, c'est impassable.

Je suggère à tous les États-uniens qui le peuvent d'immigrer au Québec pendant qu'il en est encore temps. OK, la langue est un peu bizarre... mais le chasse-neige circule aux 90 minutes sur ma rue !

Que c'est le phone, mmm je veux dire le iPhone, non, le fun ! :-)))

Roger G.

BJM said...

We have had 3 weeks of snow in freezing weather. This week our normal mild, wet south-west weather system has now returned.

Our problem was really one of ice. While the main roads were cleared the foot-paths, car parks, lanes, alleys, side-streets were untreated. Shovelling snow is one thing; shovelling ice is ... well.. impossible!

Marguerite said...

Your snowy photos are lovely! And I just love that little restaurant. So warm and cozy and with fabulous looking food! No snow plows here, either, and thankfully, no snow, either! Stay warm bon amie! Cheers, cher!

Unknown said...

Bonjour Vagadonde
Je te remercie pour les commentaires réguliers que tu fait sur mon blog.
Tes photos nous font découvrir et voyager dans ce grand pays de l'oncle Sam. Des Etats Unis ,je ne connais que l'aéroport de Los Angeles
pour y avoir fait escale en plus de nuit, quand je suis allé à Tahiti.
Donc je découvre ce pays par les photos un rêve américain virtuel
Bon dimanche
Amitié
Yves

Ginnie Hart said...

Everything you wrote about Atlanta in snow is right-on, Vagabonde, and makes me smile. Your yard in the woods reminds me of mine before I moved to Holland. That thin coating of snow was maybe a once-a-year occurence...and yes, school closes and everything comes to a standstill. So funny to watch after growing up in Michigan. However, if you don't have the proper equipment, like snowplows, it all makes sense. This has been an incredibly cold winter everywhere, hasn't it! And to think I missed it in Atlanta ater living there 22 years!

Fennie said...

Another lovely post, Vagabonde. Yes that's the sort of snow we usually get here, though we had more this year.

We are on the same lattitude as Labrador but we also have the Gulf Stream bringing hot (hot? well warm then) water from the Caribbean to keep the deep chills away.

I subscribe to MSF. They are a great bunch of people and do marvellous work all over the world.

Anonymous said...

love the snowfall view...even its snowing in my backyard right now...can imagine those scenes there...lovely captures!

Unseen India Tours said...

Hi Vogdabone !! This is a beautiful post with amazing photos !! I am amazed !!

Kenza said...

Chère Vagabonde,
Merci pour ces très belles photos sous la neige et ce délicieux reportage!
Par chez moi il a neigé aussi ces jours derniers... nous sommes si peu habitués, que 10cm de neige nous bloquent pour deux ou trois jours!
Très bon dimanche au chaud et à très bientôt

maría cecilia said...

Hola, I love silence in snowy days...and having a good meal too!!!
We are not used to snow either, eventhough for the last 5 years it has been snowing here but just a little.
Muchos cariños,
Maria Cecilia

Dominique- L said...

Certaines de ces images ressemblent au Canada, paysages décors etc.

Merci de mettre des liens pour Haïti. Ces pauvres gens en ont besoin et le pays n’est pas prêt de se relever. Chacun fait suivant ses moyens, même un petit don c’est déjà énorme.

C’était l’heure de ma pause.

Good after noon and all your readers. See you soon.

Une autre française sur le continent Nord Américain. ;-)

lorilaire said...

Je pensais qu'il y avait plus de neige chez-vous, venez regardez chez moi les photos similaires aux vôtres avec lac et canards mais avec plus de neige, j'habite en France en Normandie

RennyBA's Terella said...

Lovely photos and as a Norwegian, I felt almost like home :-) You know, I love winter and snow and skiing and skating and all :lol:

Vagabonde said...

Deborah, Paty, DJan, Friko, Elaine, BJM, Marguerite, Yves1947, Ginnie, Fennie, flyingstar, Unseen Rajasthan, Maria Cecilia - I am so glad that you stopped by and left a comment. Thank you for your interest -

Vagabonde said...

Nancy, Claude, Roger et Kenza - Je vous remercie pour votre passage et suis contente que vous avez aimé mes photos sur la neige. Il n’y en a plus maintenant, aujoud’hui il faisait 65 degrés F ou presque 19 C. Amicalement VB

Vagabonde said...

Lunarossa - Benvenuti al mio blog. Sono sempre felice di accogliere amici bloggers. I shall go and visit your blog e spero torni e farmi visita. Excuse my Italian as I have not spoken it for quite a while. I appreciate your visit.

Vagabonde said...

Je suis le temps qui passe et Lorilaire – Bienvenue sur mon blog. Je suis toujours contente d’accueillir de nouveaux amis bloggeurs. Je passerai voir le votre et espère que vous reviendrez me rendre visite.

Vagabonde said...

RennyBA’s Terella – well it is a good think that you like snow since you live in Norway! I love looking at pictures of snow but I don’t think I would like to live in it for too long – I am too used to warm weather. Thanks for your visit.

Ruth said...

My sister Ginnie just moved from Atlanta to Amsterdam, as you know I think. She was very disappointed that Atlanta got this kind of winter after she left. But she has had some snow in AMS too.

It's treacherous driving, I'm glad you were ok and found such a cozy place for lunch. A good deal! I love places like that.

My heart is heavy, and also hopeful, for Haiti.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...