Snow is an ugly thing in New York City. A few hours after the first pristine fall of the year the joy is over. Head high grey mountains are assembled by ploughs. Simultaneously deep, wide, lakes of slush collect at corners that resemble mountain passes. Anyone who wants dry feet must leap 4-6 feet if they want to get off their block. At night the whole mess freezes over and this winter, by morning, the snow inevitably has started up again.
But this is New York and the weather can turn quickly. A few hours after the slog of the morning snowy/wet/icy commute, there was a beautiful clear blue sky and sunshine. Warm enough to take off the hats and gloves AND unbutton the jacket. For a few minutes I forgot how filthy, untidy and annoying the city is when it is blanketed with snow. It made me think of this image from my archives from a time when I perceived snow as clean and fun!
I came across these kids whilst I was driving. I slammed on the brakes, threw the car up off the road and jumped out, trying to capture the sun’s rays that were highlighting the girls as they threw snowballs at each other. It was a beautiful scene, uplifting in the simple game of the girls, the magnificence of the sunbeams breaking through the heavy clouds and the sheer fun of leaping out of the car and rushing up the snowbank to capture the scene.
I’ll try to remember these positive emotions for the next snowfall, which according to the weather report will be, unsurprisingly, tomorrow!
At least they plough in New York. England just grinds to a halt after the first snowflake. I remember the fun of snowballing when I was younger too.
Sweet memories of childhood, thanks, though I grew up in the concrete jungle. The lighting is striking. The image appears old; Lartiguesque in a fashion. Thanks for sharing it.