The weather folks have been teasing us all week telling us that a big snow storm (they call it an “event”) is coming. We had a little God Dandruff scatter for a few minutes earlier in the week, but Wednesday was supposed to be the biggie.
I had to go to the Jackson Walmart to have some prints made. As I backed out of the driveway, some fairly sizable flakes were getting organized, but I wasn’t worried. Just as I closed the car door, I noticed how the flag was nicely backlit, and some of the flakes were popping out. (You can click on the photos to make them larger.)
Rose bush looks like cotton field
Since I was already almost to Jackson, and because I had some time to kill, I decided to have a combo, slaw, fries and a Mr. Pibb at Wibb’s.
By the time I finished, there was serious snow on the road. I got behind a slow driver going up the steep hill next to the city park, and I kept thinking, “If this guy don’t dial some giddy-up, we’re going to spin out here.”
There wasn’t a bread and milk freak-out going on at Walmart when I picked up my prints, but a lot of baskets were filled with snow melt.
Hwy 61 between Jackson and Cape was covered. I got in behind a snow plow (at a safe distance), but parts of the road were still slick. Even going up Kingsway Drive kept my traction control popping on and off.
I looked at the rose bush in the front yard, and was glad I had a nice, warm house to hide away in.
Memories of snow and smack
I’m pretty cautious about driving on snow and ice because I learned at an early age that just because you can go doesn’t mean you can stop. Jim Stone, Carol Klarsfeld and I were checking out the sights on a steep hill near Bertling when we came around a curve and saw a car on our side of the road.
I put on the brakes, but gravity was not on our side. We slowly crashed into the other car with my tank of a 1959 Buick LaSabre station wagon. My car suffered so little damage I didn’t bother to take a photo of it. The other guy was less lucky.
OK, I’ll go take a look
After pacing around in the kitchen for a few minutes, temptation overcame good sense and I grabbed for a jacket and headed out.
I learned as a Missourian photographer, that there are a few places in Cape that are like shooting fish in a barrel when it’s time to come up with some weather or wild art.
Capaha Park and the train is one of them.
A heavy, wet snow
This may be one of those great snows that turns out to be very pretty, but probably won’t stick around long. Roads that were pretty treacherous when I set out were already plowed or in the process of being plowed by the time I headed back.
This was taken near the new pavilion in Capaha Park that overlooks where the pool used to be.
Next stop: SEMO
It took two passes to shoot this picture of Academic Hall. When I got right in front of the building, I looked in my rearview mirror and saw a bus coming up behind me. I figured I’d better keep going to give him room.
Then, I saw him turn off.
When I made my second pass, I managed to get off a few frames before a car showed up in the mirror again. What are those fools doing out on a night like this?
A swing and a miss
I felt like I had to shoot something along Broadway. These trees and utility pole caught my eye, but I’m not overjoyed with the result.
Oh, well, you can strike out 7 of 10 times at bat, and still make a million bucks a year.
Main Street decorations
Some other folks had posted pictures of Main Street’s decorations on Facebook before the snow, so I actually got out of the car to shoot this.
Lady Liberty and Freedom Corner
This situation looked better than it photographed. I’m including it because it was the second time I got out of the car.
As I stepped off the curb, I thought, “Please don’t let this slush be deep enough to fill my shoe.”
It wasn’t.
I was acutely aware of the possibility, because the night before I was pricing a pair of old-fashioned galoshes that I could slip over my shoes when confronted with mud, slush or snow. When I saw the price, I decided my toes could get pretty chilly before I’d spring for overshoes.
I decided that I had cheated death enough, so I hung it up and headed home. My meanderings didn’t produce any great art, but it felt good to check snow off the year’s bucket list.
I just arrived yesterday from New York to see Marge and Gordon. I had bought the Xmas lights for their new digs at Stonebridge in September when I was here. So I quickly put them up before the snow! Lookin’ like Xmas!! Enjoyed your snow pictures! Thanks!
Hi Barb! Would love to visit sometime when you’re back I Cape. Missed you at our reunion.
Good time was had by all!!
Ha ha the musings of Ken is priceless…THE PICS OF CAPE WITH SNOW IS BEYOND rapture…thanks!
Does priceless mean that you aren’t going to pay me for them? Thanks for the compliment. I guess that’s pay enough.
Love the street photo catching the Christmas decorations on the light standards!
Those decorations ARE nice. Main Street looks great, but Spanish, behind it, is woefully dark in comparison.
Enjoyed your journey Ken. So much for checking on old neighbors like the TV told us to do!! I told hubby he could check on Ken, he said nah you can do it. You know how that goes but looks like we didn’t have to worry about you, you were hittin’ It head on!
Thanks for thinking of me. You probably don’t need to check on me unless you see flies on the window in the wintertime.
I’d rather you didn’t use phrases like “head-on” when I’m talking about driving on slick streets. (I have to say that most folks out there were driving responsibly last night. I DID slow way down when one guy was approaching a street where I had the right-of-way and he had a stop sign. I questioned whether he was going to hit a slick spot and blast through the intersection. He managed to stop, though.)
Love the photos! That train…is that the same train that was there when we were kids? I remember playing there back when I could climb, run, etc. Great memories.
On another note, up here where I live now, life goes on EVEN WHEN IT SNOWS A FOOT! I hibernate as much as possible.
Thanks for your work Ken.
That’s the very same train. Here are photos of kids, including my brothers, crawling all over it.
Doesn’t look like the same train to me. – looks smaller. I used to play on it too.
Nora, that is because the water tank which used to hang over the top of the boiler was removed in order to remove asbestos insulation that was between the tank and the boiler.
So those of us who used to go between the inner and outer hull back in the day have something to worry about…
Great pictures! Especially liked Academic Hall and the train framed by snow!
Thanks. Those are the ones I like best, too.
Thanks, Ken. Nice imagery; I especially want to thank you for the picture of the old Marquette #3 0-4-0 Davenport locomotive. http://www.capecentralhigh.com/cape-photos/cape-girardeau-parks-are-well-trained/
I figured that one would catch your eye.
A nice walk around your of Cape in the snow. An excellent choice of Capaha Park for snow shots too. Me I am in Florida at 80 degrees in the sunshine.
Terry,
Are you bragging or complaining about the 80 degrees?
Yes I remimber playing on that ole train myself back in the 1950s&60s and the big swimming pool ,well it seemed big at that time,I miss old cape, I left cape in 1961 as a teenager but I still go back Thare when in can,I’m now 73 ,and still enjoy the good times& friends like dean&gene farrow,&Sondra ,feverston,Walt& willy & judy ,& Dona, I can’t remember there last name ,some one help me,if you new them at the good ole school , Kage 1959&60
Especially love the one of academic hall! As always great photographer! Thanks for sharing!
Loved all of your pictures. Thanks for sharing them.