Last year my family celebrated Christmas on New Year’s day. In my lifetime, I can remember less than a handful of times where we got more than a foot of snow, and even then it was short lasted.
Typically, we get this 2-4 times a winter. And by the time you even notice its arrival, it's melted.
But it did happen. Sometimes it stuck around, piling high, creating a winter wonderland. As a child, these were magical times. I can remember walking to school with a few inches on the ground- we used to get bundled up and try to slide down the hill while staying on our feet. But when it got high enough to cover the cars… that was a sight to behold. My mom was never as mystified by the snow. Something about having to get to Seattle, no matter what. What’s normally a 20 minute drive or a 45 minute bus ride can turn into hours of commute with a little snow.
Now, my friends from elsewhere tease anyone who is from the Puget Sound area. Everyone, EVERYONE, is a better snow driver than anyone from west of the Cascades. But, I would love to see how people would do over here (or wherever they are from) if they didn’t have more than one plow going around the entire city. And on top of that, let’s add a bunch more hills! Spokane isn’t flat, I’ll give them that, but these hills are few and far between, not to mention shallow, compared to Seattle. And, frankly, I didn’t even have an opportunity to drive in the snow until my senior year of college.
But last year was particularly bad. We had snow, and it stuck around for over a week. For the first while it was fine- it stayed cold and relatively easy to drive. But as things started to warm up, there would be brief melting followed by refreezing, forming bumpy, rutted ice-roads.
Our failed attempt to catch a bus to the mall, after the roads have become a hardened mess
Shipments to everywhere got messed up. At work, our customer orders came in weeks late, after they had been deferred to Wisconsin or wherever else it was shipped. We got plenty of angry calls, let me tell you.
Our Christmas gifts arrived late, as well. Just before Christmas, we decided to put it off for a week so that everything could arrive, providing us with a full experience, albeit a bit tardy. I can easily say that last Christmas was my favorite. Let me tell you this: I had wanted a new camera for over a year and a half. After field camp (now two and a half years ago) mine had died. When my sister and I went to Europe for the next summer, we brought hers. But I so wanted a camera. With the way things were- less work for my dad, my parent s having to help my sister pay for school, and all sorts of other money drains, I wasn’t going to ask for a camera. Not this year.
I probably hoped that my parent’s would buy me one, regardless of the fact that I wouldn’t ask for it. But when my brother opened one of his presents, my heart sunk a little- I knew I couldn’t be getting one, because he had just opened up a camera. A camera that I would have loved. And with the way things were that year, I was sure they would only be buying one camera a year. It was much to my surprise, joy, shock, elation, pure bliss, then, when I opened up a present a little later, and there… sitting right in front of me… I couldn’t believe it… was a camera! I couldn’t wipe that smile off my face for a week.
One of the first photos I took with the camera
That camera and I have had an intimate relationship ever since. It was by my side at all times, and together we embarked on a year-long daily picture project. We may have both received some bumps and bruises along the way, but together we are still. And I’m not sure there will ever be another Christmas to top the wintery mess of last year.
0 comments:
Post a Comment