Wow, this winter is getting old. The cold is getting old. I want a tropical vacation…complete with rum drinks with little umbrellas, a tiki bar, beautiful sand beaches…and, of course, steel drum music. And, most importantly, warm, warm sunshine.
Unfortunately, that’s not in the books for me this year. I do understand that we live in the Northeast, and that the snow and cold are to be expected but, sheesh, this year is killing me. And I actually LIKE the snow. I love the quiet beauty of a snowfall. I love the tree branches that sag heavy under the weight of the snow. It is all very beautiful.
It is also very, very gray. And colorless. Sigh…
I went out yesterday morning during the storm to try to get some photos to post here. I had several ideas, but found myself at Congress Park once again, if for no other reason than I knew I could park easily without getting stuck in a snowbank somewhere or sliding off the road.
![DSC_0068a.jpg](https://www.saratoga.com/frozen-moments/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/02/dsc_0068a.jpg)
I found a spot in the parking garage across from Ben & Jerry’s, grabbed an umbrella from the back seat to keep my camera dry, and headed out.
It was snowing fairly heavily at that point, and very few of the walkways in the park had been shoveled or plowed, so I was trudging through about 10 inches of snow at that point, trying to carry my umbrella in my left hand, with my camera in my right.
![DSC_0005a.jpg](https://www.saratoga.com/frozen-moments/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/02/dsc_0005a.jpg)
As always, the park was gorgeous. That’s a given. I feel kind of bad that I am sharing what is starting to feel like the same basic photos over and over again…but, as I said, I knew I could get there relatively easily in the storm and park without getting myself stuck. As soon as the weather improves slightly, I will get out and do a little more exploring.
![DSC_0018a.jpg](https://www.saratoga.com/frozen-moments/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/02/dsc_0018a.jpg)
There weren’t many people out at all. I did see a mom and a couple of kids out sledding, but they were too far away for me to get any fun or colorful shots of them sliding down the hill.
![DSC_0041a.jpg](https://www.saratoga.com/frozen-moments/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/02/dsc_0041a.jpg)
Once again, the photos look like B&W’s or pen & ink drawings…not a spot of color to be found. It was still really beautiful, but I was missing color and, hard as I looked, I could not find any bright splashes in the monochromatic landscape.
…until my umbrella slipped out of my hand and fell forward as I was trying to snap a shot. The red took over the top of my photo and I LOVED IT! (That’s the photo at the top of this post.) I loved the beautiful sudden splash across the top of the scene. Unfortunately, my search for color in the park yesterday morning ended right there. Everything else was back to black, white and gray. But it was still so very, very pretty!
![DSC_0024a.jpg](https://www.saratoga.com/frozen-moments/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/02/dsc_0024a.jpg)
![DSC_0037a.jpg](https://www.saratoga.com/frozen-moments/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/02/dsc_0037a.jpg)
I did get out again late this afternoon. Went on a little drive to get some shots for a post later this weekend. I thought the sun was going to come out, and I waited and waited, but other than a few breaks in the clouds, it was mostly cloudy. I will share those photos in my next post.
![DSC_0066a.jpg](https://www.saratoga.com/frozen-moments/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/02/dsc_0066a.jpg)
![DSC_0035a.jpg](https://www.saratoga.com/frozen-moments/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/02/dsc_0035a.jpg)
OK, enough of the snow photos. I hear we are supposed to get more, I think I heard Wednesday night and into Thursday. It really is getting so old. But, take heart, there are only 37 days until Spring!
![DSC_0057a.jpg](https://www.saratoga.com/frozen-moments/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/02/dsc_0057a.jpg)