A Frigid Day (In London Town)

A week has passed and just as we had all gotten use to the luke-warm, mild winter here in Central New York, the weather had other plans. Saturday was the first day to hit the negatives. As luck would have it, I was forced to work outside as the snow fell all around. The ground was pummeled in an electrifying fury and the park was covered in a blanket of white.

Everything came to a halt in the outside world. No one wanted to travel on the roads as no lines could be seen and the slightest jerk-motion of the wheel could cause one's car to impact the nearby snowbanks rendering your day worse than it probably already was.

My day started with the continued whiteout conditions of the previous night and the non-plowed roads of the park. My first task of the day was to get over to the lodge on the other side of the park and attempt to warm the place up before the guests arrived for that morning. I hopped into the parks and recreation truck and made it over there while fighting for traction the entire way. The initial drive over was easy as I had little hills to climb but the drive back to the office proved a daunting task.

I was unable to make it up the rather steep hill towards the office and after ten or so tries, I gave up and had to call for someone to come plow the roadways. Even after the plowing had finished (and the snow refused to let up) I was stuck at the bottom of the hill and had to have a much larger buildings and grounds truck tow me up it. Once I reached the top, I stored the truck in the garage and insisted that I be able to use the larger 4x4 instead. Having the 4x4 was of tremendous help and I was able to complete my tasks with much more ease.

Activity in the park (other than the lodge) was nonexistent. The whiteout weather covered as far as the eye could see and not even the car engines from the nearby I-690 were rumbling. I would say that it was the worst day of this winter so far and I was beyond elated when I was able to leave for the night and not be in the harsh, unforgiving snowstorm any longer. I can only hope that the tail end of this winter doesn't have many more surprises in-stored for everyone.


Author's Note: The title is a play on the song A Foggy Day by George Gershwin. Take a listen to the song as recorded by Frank Sinatra in 1953 and then by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong in 1956 for yourself.

Links:
Frank Sinatra Version
Ella & Louis Version (Track 7)