On Thursday, I saw that snow was forecast for Friday.

I didn't really believe it. I went to a Christmas party with a friend on Thursday evening, and although it felt cold out, it wasn't that cold.

I was skeptical.

Snow!

But, sure enough, it started snowing on Friday!

By Friday afternoon it was coming down and actually sticking to the ground, which it doesn't do too often here in Atlanta.

I called a friend, grabbed my dog, Bauer, and my camera and walked over to her place. This California-raised girl does not drive in the snow. No way. I'll walk, thanks.

My friend's a little braver, so we took her car over to Jackson Street Bridge. It was miserable out.

Frozen Hands and Feet

The snow was turning to sleet, and the sky was muddy. My boots are old and not very waterproof anymore. My toes were freezing.

My hands were too cold to fumble with my tripod, so I did a handheld pano. Not perfect. But, you get the idea.

You can see how dreary it was.

The photo has an appealing starkness, though, with the misty clouds descending on the skyscrapers.

This was a good time for a hot toddy!

 

Saturday

I went to bed Friday night expecting the snow to be completely melted in the morning.

Wrong!

It was a winter wonderland on Saturday morning when I woke. The snow was still coming down, but the sky was cerulean and gorgeous.

I sat on the couch. Bauer jumped in my lap and cuddled up. I cupped a steaming hot mug of creamy decaf in my hands, inhaling the aroma, sipping the warmth into my body.

I don't need caffiene - it makes me jumpy. I'm wide awake in the morning without it. But, I love the taste and the ritual.  

I thanked God for my many blessings as the dust-mottled sunrays streamed in through the windows and skylights in my little place. It was the perfect backdrop for my tiny Christmas tree, the lights on, but barely visible in competition with the sunshine.

The last thing I wanted to do was go out in the cold, but go I did. My friend, Lauren, picked me up, and we headed down to Jackson Street Bridge again.

The dreariness of Friday evening was banished. 

I squatted down in the crunchy wet snow and took a dozen shots while trying to be patient and capture a melting waterdrop. 

Brrrr...it was a little windy and soooo cold.

Leaving the bridge, we jumped back into the still-warm car and went to Centennial Park. We should have gone earlier, because the sun was strong, and the snow was melting, though it was hard to tell how, because it was so, so cold.

We left the cozy car and walked into the park.

We watched as the Ferris Wheel started up and huge chunks of snow dropped to the ground with loud thunking sounds.

I forgot my gloves, much to my chagrin.

My hands hurt from the cold.

We only had an hour on our parking meter, so we didn't stay out long.

The voice of an announcer blasted from loudspeakers startling me and the birds - warning everyone to stand back because the fountain show was beginning.

The water pipes must have been mostly frozen.

The music blared, but there was hardly any water shooting up from the fountain jets.

A cop car was parked near the fountain. There's usually one in that spot. The dude inside it looked bored. I thought it looked like a great gig for people watching.

We decided we'd had enough cold.

It was nearing 12:30, and we grabbed some lunch at Bon Ton in Midtown before heading home for the day.

I uploaded my photos right away to see if I'd really captured the drop of water. Yes!

Only 1:30 pm, and I'd already had a successful photo outing, and the weekend was just beginning!

I hope you had a good weekend, whether you were in the snow or not!

Is your Christmas shopping going well?

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See you between the raindrops (or maybe that should be snow flurries!).

xoxo,
Susan

Let me know if you're interested in the Ecuador trip. We're going to have a blast!! susan@susanjphotography.com