There’s something so awesome about seeing Mother Nature fulfill her destiny this way.

And snow always seems to bring out the best in Washingtonians.

It purifies things.

And for a few hours at least, people have domain over the streets again, not cars.

© 2010, Ithaka Bound. All rights reserved. Photos and text are copyright protected.

Do I follow the snow or does the snow follow me?

I left DC shortly after the storm of the century.  I arrived in Wisconsin the day before two feet of snow fell.  A month later, I arrived back in DC the day after a snow emergency to find my building without heat or water.  Yesterday, another snowfall turned the city into a winter wonderland.

No complaints though; if it’s going to be winter, I much prefer it with snow.

While in Wisconsin, I realized that I’ve become a major wuss when it comes to tolerating cold weather.  When my 14 year-old niece was walking around in nothing warmer than a sweatshirt, I was bundled in a wool coat and wearing a polartec cap, a scarf, and fleece lined mittens. And I was still shivering.

My parents keep their house a balmy 68 degrees.  They cranked the heat up to 69 when they noticed my lips turning blue and icicles forming on my eyelashes.  I usually had three layers on, and sat in the sunny spot in the living room.

This wussification bothers the part of me that likes to imagine itself an explorer who could have made the trek with Sir Edmond Hillary.  I feel like I should be at least as hardy as young teens and senior citizens, but then, I really enjoy the snow from my toasty living room.

The photo in this post has no relation whatsoever to the topic — I was nostalgic for a warmer, balmier world.

© 2010, Ithaka Bound. All rights reserved. Photos and text are copyright protected.

How DC looked on Thursday when I was out shooting photographs:

It was one of those days that could best be described as perfect.  The weather was a perfect 65 degrees F, there wasn’t a drop of humidity in the air — a rare occurrence in DC — and the sky was perfectly blue.

When I woke up on Saturday morning, things had changed drastically:

It snowed all day, inches and inches of wet, heavy snow.

It’s so rare for DC to get snowfall in December.  We usually only get a few days of snow in January, and the rest of the winter is grey and rainy.

I was raised in a cold climate, and although I now prefer to be in a hotter region of the world, there’s still something so magical about the first snowfall.  It reminds me of that last scene from Edward Scissorhands — I want to dance in it.

© 2009 – 2010, Ithaka Bound. All rights reserved. Photos and text are copyright protected.