People get awfully worked up about snow around here- even though we rarely get enough to write home about. Yes, there are the down sides: icy sidewalks, shoveling out the car, crowded grocery stores.
But on the flip side, all my teacher friends are happily sleeping in. I totally hated school so I still feel residual and vicarious ecstasy when DCPS makes the call to close. Even in college I felt the same way. I remember a particularly snowy day in February1979 when the University of Maryland shut down.
My housemate Alan got his camera, and we went outside to see what was happening. Students spontaneously had wandered into town- maybe hoping the Varsity Grill or the Vous would be open, but mostly just to be in the snow. (I like that so much I'll say it again. Be In The Snow.)
I don't remember how it started- from boredom or sheer exuberance- but suddenly a snow ball fight erupted. The battle line was drawn, and it was Route 1. We happily heaved all sizes of snowballs at each other- two camps divided by asphalt, but occasionally united like the unruly fiends we were when a hapless motorist dared run the gauntlet.
This went on until a very irate man jumped out of his truck with a shotgun. He was not amused, and I think we dispersed at that point. At least I did. It was time to go home. College Park has never been high on my list of beautiful towns, but that day it was. Thanks, Alan for capturing that day and many others. Check out his site Alan Kresse Photography to see more.
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| (all photos in this posting by Alan Kresse) |
I was at the same snow fight in Rt. 1 that day. Cop car pulled up, all action stopped, then one lone snowball smashed across the windshield. Suddenly, the crowd regained its courage and launched a most awesome attack; a blizzard of snowballs. Officers M. Friendly and B. Helpful, grinning widely, threw up their hands in mock surrender and drove off. The crowd cheered and the party resumed.
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