Snow in Atlanta!

It started snowing on the afternoon of January 2 and covered the ground in about 30 minutes. When we awoke on January 3rd there was about 5 inches of soft dry snow on the ground. This is a rare occurrence in Atlanta. Usually it is warm enough that the snow is mixed with rain and we get a frozen glaze. This snow perched on the tree limbs and bushes and gave us a winter wonderland out of our window at breakfast time.

These are the views of our backyard and the house next door when we awoke on January 3.

With Marty's house at left out our front window, and the views of the back yard shown below, we had little incentive to leave the house. Especially when my pickup looked as it did below.

Our front yard was covered with smooth snow and the snow on the shrubs and the view of the street showed a rare winter wonderland.

Rod finally wandered out down the street and got these views of our house.

The snow was so soft it built up on the tree limbs and on the magnolia leaves. It is rare to get that kind of snow in Atlanta.

Mark's house and truck were covered with snow. He had to leave for work at 6 AM but he got there without incident. He took Cindy's front-wheel drive car rather than the truck.

For us the snowy street was a pleasant and beautiful novelty, but to the squirrels it was a challenge. They would come down the trees and look at it and then go back up. I could envision them just curling back up in their nests or going to their nut stash in a tree. When they did get out on the snow, they bounded across it with their tails held high. The squirrel at right jumped off a tree in the back yard and almost disappeared from view, only to come bursting out again.

Our azalea bed has not had this much snow on it since the blizzard of '93.

We were anxious to see how Frankie would take to the snow, which was shoulder-high to her. It took some coaxing, but finally she went bounding around in it.

The snow was no challenge for Sugarbear, who loved it and went tearing around in it. The cold was no challenge for Cindi and Rod who wore matching Swedish Army jackets. The view of Nandina berries in the snow is always nice.

Sweet gum balls are not something you notice very much, but these were remarkable when they wore tophats of snow.

The soft snow held on like cotton on the shrubs and on the mailbox. Those where snow is common couldn't understand our fascination with the beauty and variety of its forms. We were thankful for the beauty of God's artwork.