The Big Snow '09

We ended up with over 20 inches of snow in the Philadelphia area by the time the snow stopped falling on Dec. 20th. That was more than the total amount from snow storms in the early months of 2009.

Below, a few before / during and after shots I took:

This wooden planter is probably just over 12 inches tall, and you can see just how much even that was covered by snow.

Another thing resulting from the heavy snow was that my internet connection was down for all but a few minutes of the Dec. 19-20 weekend. It has connection problems on and off even on good weather days, but it was worse than usual during the snow storm.

Now, in the last days of 2009, more snow is heading our way from the Mid-west according to the Weather Channel forecasts. I hope there won't be as much, although snow is being forecast for 4 days out of the coming week. My biggest concern is the commute to and from my college campus beginning on Jan. 12th, as well as the parking conditions complicated by any snow accumulation.

So, I'll be staying tuned into the latest and if I'm not back on here before then, hope everyone has a safe and happy New Years!

Snow Storm Brewing

This coming weekend, I had plans to go out to Shady Maple Smorgasbord and also do some photography in the surrounding area. I found out that the PA Wolf Sanctuary and an area protected by the Natural Lands Trust were not too far away. However, the weather forecasts began to call for not only really cold temperatures, but also a winter storm warning. It sounds like it will be a big one, with local events cancelling and people getting stocked up today.

So, in my area, the year 2009 is coming to a close with snow…much like what the early months of the year experienced. The surrounding areas of Philadelphia saw snow coming down in January, February and March this year. I’m hoping that we don’t get too much snow as we go through the next few months, what with my commute to campus starting soon. Below is a slideshow I put together of my neighborhood’s snow scenes, with images spanning from January to March 2009.

Main Line Photo Project

As viewed from the St. David’s exit of the Blue Route, this is a photo I took of some insignia detail that crosses over Lancaster Avenue. Taking this exit is the way we often go when heading out to the areas of Wayne, Berwyn, Devon and Paoli. A recent drive heading toward those areas from Exton, PA inspired the idea for my Main Line photo project.

I was coming from a family dinner at the Cracker Barrel in Exton and afterwards followed Lancaster Avenue / Route 30 back to the towns mentioned before. Along the way, I noticed a number of historic structures dotting either side of the road often referred to as the Main Line. Although a passenger on this particular trip, I didn’t get to take photos of these structures as most were in difficult spots or noticed at the last minute.

However, I managed to map these structures out with the help of Google Maps and made note of anything nearby when next approaching them. The street view feature also helped in finding some places to get off the road to capture images of these intriguing old structures. Now if only I could find out about the history of each one to go along with any photos. There are always the historical societies…and whatever I find out, I’ll add in a future post.

I have to say that I’ve been interested in this stretch of road, and the area surrounding the Main Line, since my high school days. That is when I first started to see the areas of Wayne, Berwyn, Devon and Paoli on a regular basis. Back then, I remember thinking, “I would really love to live around here someday.” The back roads are so scenic, but I love to see the little shops right along certain parts of Lancaster Avenue as well. Overall, when going through this area, I can feel of real sense of the local history and American tradition.

In the near future, I’ll head back up for a drive along the Main Line and look for my planned out photo stops here and there. A couple of the structures I want to get photos of are abandoned and have no historical markers onsite. These types of old buildings always draw me in, wondering what the history is behind them and if they’ll be restored to their former glory. In the meantime, they inspire my imagination about their stories going back to various times.

Check back soon for photos and any history I can dig up.