Confetti Snow

I never knew there were so many ways for snow to fall! Today it looked like a ticker tape parade (for those of you too young to remember ticker tape parades before they were banned, check this out):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeXRLvcPp-I


Huge chunks of odd sizes and shapes of wet clingy snow fluttered down from above, reflecting different shades of whiteness and grayness. Underneath the street lights it looked just like paper flopping about, the wind flipping the flakes gently and teasingly here and there.


At first I didn't see the full extent of what was coming down. In the darkness of the night as the car maneuvered along Buffalo Road, it was difficult to see the scope of what was happening. But when we turned onto Elmgrove, I glanced at the bank on the corner and beheld an incredible sight under their parking lot lights. All I could think of was Mardi Gras. A festive celebration of winter with a positive spin of happiness.



After weeks of nothing but snow and cold, this little whirling dance of whiteness was pretty. Reminds me of when we visited Lake Placid with my sister and rode the dog sled out on the lake. We were bundled in like doughnuts in a box, tucked about with bearskin robes, and the poor gentleman riding the rails of the sled behind us breathing heavily in the cold, barking orders to the eager dogs who wanted to run as fast as they could.



Snow was flopping down lazily that morning too. We skimmed out over the lake with a soft swooshing sound, the cool air rushing about us in refreshing gulps as the dogs bounced around in front of us. Every few minutes, the guy behind us would order the dogs to turn as we made a huge circle on the frozen inlet. Before we were ready to stop, the ride ended and we pulled back to the dock where we first had loaded on board.



Laughing and hooting with happiness, the boys and my sister and I headed for a sandwich shop for a cup of hot chocolate. Glorious! We sat before a roaring fire and munched away happily, watching the driver swish another group of riders out over the frozen water, hawing to the dogs who never seemed to tire of the fun.