Snow!!!

Finally!

One of the reasons I love my job is because it's kinda seasonal. There might be years when I'm on the road during winter, but usually I'm off and at home, which I prefer. Winter is my favorite season. Always has been, always will be. There's just something about it – the sights, the smells, the memories.

Last year, I was out from mid-October until mid-February, and it totally bummed me out. I had two days off in between the R. Kelly tour and my flight to New Zealand to start the Rage Against The Machine tour, but to me, those didn't even count.

There was no measurable snow here last year, so I guess I didn't miss anything. Come to think of it, other than a very light dusting two years ago (I think?), I haven't had snow since buying this house 3 years ago next week.

Don’t get me wrong; I'm not looking for a blizzard or anything. All I ask for is a few inches of snow, a couple of times each winter. Not enough to cause major problems, just enough to enjoy.

So today was finally my day. Looks to be about 4 inches or maybe a bit more on the ground right now. TV weather staff said it was gonna taper off about noon, but it's an hour past that now and it's still coming down. The temp isn't supposed to go over freezing today, so I'll get to enjoy it all day and into tomorrow.

7am, just starting to accumulate:



The snow was blowing up onto the porch, too.

My Toyota snowmobile:

Took my run a little later than usual today. I was enjoying sitting by the window and watching the snow fall, and the time just kinda slipped by me. Decided to take my camera with me and I stopped a few times to snap photos.

The greenway:

Crabtree Creek, which the greenway runs beside:


Railroad trestle near Atlantic Avenue. Note the original trestle base structure to the right:

I even stopped as I was running by the Carolina Ale House, thinking I could get a shot of the pristine, snow-covered deck that we spend so much time on:



Your humble author, self-portrait:

It was fun to run in the snow, I've always liked to do that. Not that I would move up north to do it more often, but still.

After I got home, I piddled about the house, not really getting anything done. Foy called mid-afternoon and we made a plan to hit the Ale House deck for a few cold beverages around 4 o'clock or so. After picking his wife Terry up from her office, they swung by here and snagged me.

The deck was still undisturbed when we got there. I mean, come on, who on earth else would want to sit outside in the snow and drink beer?



Bob and Foy:

The way a Budweiser should always be served:

I even played the ring toss game in the snow:

Joel, the GM, when told by our waiter that there were crazy people outside, even came out to take a photo of us with his phone. Poor Joel, he's used to us sitting outside year-round, but this was a bit bizarre, even by our standards.

The icicles before the sun started going down:

And as the sun was going down, with the neons turned on:

After 90 minutes and a few rounds outside, the sun finally set:

The temperature plummeted from a very comfortable (WTF!) 32 degrees to something we didn’t want to sit around in, so we moved inside to the bar.

While we were inside, several members of the staff went out and built a snowman on the deck, and staged a meal in front of him:

Foy, Bob and Terry partying with the Ale House Snowman:

Further adventures awaited us at both Northside Billiards and the High Park Bar & Grille, but those details are currently being withheld to protect the guilty…