The ice came and went, but the snow is hanging around for a little while

Like all southern states, snow and ice storms is a weather event in North Carolina. We've seen very few of either in our 4 1/2 years here. I recall measurable snowfall twice our first winter, once the second year, none the third year and twice last winter, neither of which was more than an inch or two. 

We'd gone without snow or ice storms this season until two weeks ago. An ice storm came through, and fortunately for us, we were on the fringe of that, so we got very little ... and incurred no power outage. But three days ago, a bigger storm swept up from the south and merged with an arctic front, leaving us about 3 1/2 inches of snow. 

On most of the previous snowfalls, temperatures warmed up quickly, making the snow disappear usually within 24 or 36 hours. Three and a half inches of snow was small beans in the years I lived in Indiana, so that didn't concern me. But this time, while temperatures got into the 40s during daylight hours in the aftermath, nighttime temperatures dropped below freezing, and I hear we'll stay in that pattern for a good week or so. 

Thankfully, most snow on the streets melted by the end of that first above-freezing daytime sunshine. But the stuff on the grass and in the nearby woods is still hanging around.

All to introduce my venture through the neighborhood again, on the morning after the snowfall, to document the new-look landscape. More pictures can be found in a gallery at my site at SmugMug.com. 

There was just enough warmth on the driveway to create a frame of the snaking road to the top of the hill (above). Land on the other side of the fence seen in the photo below -- part of a 100-acre plot owned by a man who died in June 2018 -- has been sold, and the machinations are in force to develop the property. A driving force to development is construction of the southern leg of the I-540 toll loop around Raleigh, which began two years ago and should be finished in a year or so. If we choose to use 540 on our commutes to Indiana, it would probably carve about 10 to 15 minutes off our trips. But I'm very unhappy about losing that wooded area.   

It was 10:30 a.m. when I got out for this shoot, but the plethora of footprints I came across (above) told me that plenty of neighbors had already been out for their daily walks. We have either or so people in the neighborhood who walk for exercise. 

Above and below: Skies were still overcast as I made my walk-through, so made all of these pictures without the use of a polarizing filter. 

Above and below: I was pleased to see some lingering autumn leaf colors on a few deciduous trees. 

Above: One neighbor chose to a hand blower to remove the snow from his driveway as soon as possible, certainly to ensure safety for any pedestrian traffic, but possibly to avoid any melting snow from refreezing overnight when temperatures plummeted to the 20s. 

The familiar bridge over a creek (above) at the addition entrance (below), where more tire tread marks etch a slushy tapestry. 

The homes above and below are seen by traffic shortly after entering the addition because the entrance road splits into a Y at this point. 

The tree trunks and green buffer provide an interesting frame for the home above. Below, a figurine in the front yard of another home. 

Tire tread marks and footprints present an interesting roadway abstract (above). Below is a closeup of one of the footprints. 

Another leaf straggler (above) and more tire tracks (below).

 

Looking at roadside ditches on the return trip, I came across the scenes you see above and in the first three photos below. 

Above: I first saw this bird fly onto a mailbox next to the road as I approached it. I stopped in my tracks and went to lift my camera and zoom the lens all the way to 300mm, but as soon as I adjusted the lens and before I could focus, the bird flew a short distance to the left and landed on this driveway. It froze there for a moment, so I was able to grab this photo.  

Above and the two remaining photos below are from my yard. Above are sacks Lee Ann had used for growing potatoes during the growing season. They are situated along one of the raised garden beds along the driveway to the detached garage. The first photo below is an angle I liked of the pergola formation covering the back deck with the rear roof and vent in the background. The second photo below is an angel figurine perched on a bench in the puppy memorial garden, where Lee Ann's dogs Molly and Bear are interred.