My name is Rob, and I'm not really a southerner. Sure, I was born and raised in Alabama. But I don't have the accent, I hate the heat, and I love the snow.
People down here seem to be scared of it. They might even have a right to be, on occasion. We're not really properly equipped to handle it down south. We don't have snow tires, or chains. We don't have snow plows, and the roads rarely get salted. Not to mention that we usually end up with ice on the roads instead of compacted snow.
So when there's even a threat of a dusting around here, the whole city pretty much shuts down. And, ya know what? That's ok with me, because it means I get a snow day. Plus, if you've got the wherewithal, you can still get to basically wherever you need to, even with the road closings.
Last week, Huntsville experienced a snowpocalypse.
It was Tuesday's forecast that called for a few inches of snow.
Sure enough, Monday night the news was announcing all the closings for Tuesday. My Girlfriend and I stayed up late Monday night to wait for it.
It was worth the wait. By the time we went to bed there was a fresh dusting covering everything in sight.
The following morning, after realizing her office was closed, we took a stroll around the neighborhood trying our best not to leave footprints on the newly fallen blanket covering everything.
By that afternoon, as per the norm in Alabama, all the snow had melted into a wet slurry.
But that's ok, because the forecast for Thursday was calling for 6 inches all over Huntsville.
Again, Wednesday night, we stayed up enjoying the snowfall. We ate chili, and harvested the makings for snow-cream.
My Facebook feed was blowing up of cell phone pictures of people's front yards and mailboxes all turning white.
I knew I was going to have to get out with my camera to record the peacefulness and calm of this new perfect blanket that nature had so graciously bestowed upon me.
I knew it wasn't to last, and in the morning the place would be littered with footprints, and tire tracks, and bare spots with snowmen nearby.
It was about midnight that I trudged out into the median in the neighborhood and set up shop.
It was late, and cold. Fortunately it didn't take very long to walk away with two shots I was happy with.
Seeing the cold, calm, beauty of newly fallen snow, it still baffles me as to how anyone can dislike it.