A welcome snow day today, imposing calm on everyone–or at least me! I’ve always enjoyed winter, but the SuperWinter of two years ago, in which something like 11 feet of snow was dumped on us in February, tempered my appreciation for this particular season considerably. The snow was all around the house, the snow was in the house, and I plodded to work every day in tunnels of yellow snow. I felt a little vulnerable, especially when I woke up in the morning to see the latest damage inflicted on my plaster ceilings by ice dams. But all of that is fixed now, and we spent last year, with its relatively light winter, rebuilding our chimneys, sealing our windows, and putting on a new roof. Now I feel impenetrable, at least for this first snow storm. I’m sure hardly anyone agrees with me, but I think winter is Salem’s best season actually–I like to see the city return to a car-less state: it’s as close as you can come to seeing it in its glorious past. There’s a timeless quality to a snowy day, and the contrast of nature and structure is never more apparent. Here’s a few photographs I took as I walked around a very calm city this afternoon.
Chestnut Street, Essex Street, and the Common.
Two notable Salem houses in varying stages of restoration.
Gambrel roofs embellished by snow.
Some contrast; Trinity does not really care for snow.
January 7th, 2017 at 7:09 pm
Hey, Donna, great pics. Streets really deserted.
Question – is that somewhat “worn” old place with the cememtery to the left associated with Sophia Peabody, Hawthorne’s wife? Just wondering…
January 7th, 2017 at 7:12 pm
Yes, Helen, that’s where Sophia lived when they were courting. It’s just at the beginning of a major restoration–long overdue!
January 7th, 2017 at 7:31 pm
Beautiful pictures, thank you for sharing the blog. I didn’t get around much today to see the snow against the buildings around the Common
January 7th, 2017 at 9:27 pm
Thanks, Barbara!
January 14th, 2017 at 4:15 pm
Gorgeous shots! It hasn’t dawned on me to go to Salem in the winter time and now I feel like I should check it out some time!