Question for the audience: if someone is writing about this past winter and it is already April, does that imply a) low motivation, b) a lackadaisical lifestyle, or c) a highly enriched brilliant mind. I think we can confidently rule out one of these.
For anyone breathing and located anywhere in North America, I think we can all say this past winter was a meteorological shitshow. In New England, we had a ton of snow and winds, followed by cold weather that helped keep the snow in place for much of the winter. As a skier, I rejoiced. My bride saw it through a slightly different lens.
We returned from our 3-month trip out west in early December, and immediately tried to catch up on the holiday spirit. Better late than never. It was nice to catch up with friends and celebrate the season.
Pretty quickly thereafter we entered the frigid zone, long patches of snow and cold. One individual who probably most had to adapt to cold weather was our new-to-us rescue dog, Nana. Nana came to us from South Carolina, so we think she had some adjustments to make to savor this hearty New England lifestyle.
Audiences who truly enjoy stretches of cold weather are ice fishermen and pilots who fly into and take off on the southern end of Lake Winnipesaukee in Alton Bay. Once the ice gets thick enough (12 inches or more), they roll out trucks with snowplows to clear a runway. Personally, I’m going to pass on these two winter activities. But to each their own!
Meanwhile, from a skiing perspective, this had to have been the most amazing ski season in years. The snow was plentiful, the temperatures were cold, and the skies were blue. Amazing!
Back at home, there was work to do, just to keep up with the volume of snow. While I have a snowplow on my truck, we pitched in together with one of our neighbors to purchase a snowblower, an action under normal circumstances would have caused the immediate cessation of snow.
Along the way, we had a fantastic season with the Patriots! Although losing in the Superbowl, it was a great season to watch the team under Mike Vrabel, their new head coach (and former Patriots linebacker).
While the New Hampshire seacoast is always beautiful and captivating, add some snow to the picture, and the views are amazing. Have I said amazing enough yet??
Lastly, we had an opportunity to see Gavin Newsom speak at the Music Hall in Portsmouth. I won’t lie – I completely expected not to like him. Turns out, he was completely engaging and a delight to listen to. Who knew?
Hope your winter was enjoyable!
We made it through this record breaking winter! I loved the snow! Emese and I hope to see you both again soon!
That opening question cracked me up—I think we can safely rule one of those out pretty quickly 😄
What a winter. Those shots of the plowed ice runway stopped me for a minute… I had no idea that was even a thing. Watching planes land out there with someone in a bright jacket acting as controller—just wild. I’m with you though, that’s firmly in the “fun to look at, no need to try” category.
Nana looks like she’s handling it better than expected. That midair beach run photo says it all—either she adapted fast or just decided this is her life now and went with it. Either way, great shot.
The snowblower purchase made me laugh too. There really should be a formal study on that phenomenon. And that backyard ski photo… I’m not buying the “100 years ago,” but I respect the storytelling.
Those coastal scenes were something else. The ice chunks shifting around and that incoming storm shot—beautiful, but you can almost feel the cold coming through the screen.
Sounds like one of those winters that was a lot of work but also kind of special at the same time. Appreciate you sharing it.
Jim
Thank you Jim!