Me on my commute home, Knoxville, January 2013
Well, that got interesting. Just last weekend Knoxvillians lined up at consignment stores attempting to barter away their heavy coats in exchange for a handy pair of Bermuda shorts. Temperatures hovered in the seventies, joggers ran about in little shorts and t-shirts. The ice rink gave up and went home. I think I saw Jimmy Buffet walking down Gay Street with a fruity drink of some sort.
Whittle Building, Knoxville, January 2013
Unassailable hill on Locust Street, Knoxville, January 2013
Next thing we know Jimmy has been replaced by Noah. Deluge after deluge fell over the land and the pestilence was upon us all. Ducks sought drier land. A river flowed through the city and we lined up to trade our Bermuda shorts for larger umbrellas. And arks. Two days of rain and we’d met our monthly quota. It kept raining – and getting slightly colder.
Union Avenue, Knoxville, January 2013
Market Square, Knoxville, January 2013
Then we get word from our local meteorologists that we could see an inch of snow in the valley. No, wait, that’s one to three inches. Now that I think about it, let’s make it two to four. Schools closed. Children screamed and mothers cried. And I drove from Oak Ridge toward the city. I started driving just after 3:00 and the rain thought it might grow up to become snow, but it wasn’t sure.
Market Street, Knoxville, January 2013
Gay Street, Knoxville, January 2013
Pellissippi was wet and traffic was pretty much normal. I-40 seemed a bit slow when I turned eastward toward the city. Then it really began to crawl: 25 miles an hour, stop, 12 miles per hour, stop. I’m thinking, “People, it’s snow. I get it. The road is fine and so are we – let’s go home, already.” All the way to the Northshore exit I’m looking for even a small sign that the snow is sticking to the grass beside the road. It’s crazy.
First Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Knoxville, January 2013
The Glencoe, Knoxville, January 2013
Then, just east of Northshore I got it. I got ruts to drive in. I got chunks of ice fallen from sixteen wheelers. I got pot holes which had been waiting for years for this opportunity to emerge. Snow blanketed the interstate. Cars careened off the road in every direction. What should have been the last ten minutes of the commute became forty-five minutes of white-knuckled nail biting prayers.
Rowing Man, Knoxville, January 2013
Krutch Park, Knoxville, January 2013
Did I mention the hill up Locust Street? That would be the one where people drove up most of the way only to slide back down among those of us easing our way up toward the garage. Did a dry parking spot ever look so good? Could home feel any better? Could any of you spare a downtown job for a shaken blogger?
Krutch Park, Knoxville, January 2013
Krutch Park, Knoxville, January 2013
Of course, I later learned that there was “not a snowflake on the ground” in Oak Ridge, meaning that I’ll be expected to be on the road at 6:20 AM for my daily commute. Will the boss believe my description of the mean streets in the city? Maybe the pictures will help. In any case, the city was beautiful once I was out of the car and on the ground. As businesses closed and downtown workers made their way home as best they could, a quiet settled over the city and the journey to get home seemed worth it, after all.
Demerits to the businesses that didn’t shovel the sidewalk in front of their buildings, which is most of them. That is terrible urban manners. Even KUB failed to clear the sidewalk in front of their headquarters, and they should know better.
It’s going to be icy out there tonight when all the melt refreezes. I hope everyone out on the town is careful where they step.
I wonder if downtown businesses even have snow shovels? You don’t often find things like that around here.
I love your pictures! The city is beautiful in the rain or the snow.
I took one look down Locust from the light on Summit around 3:30, and stayed on Summit. This is my normal route home, but not yesterday! It was really crazy weather, one minute it was rain, and then fifteen minutes later I look out the Summit Hill window and it’s a couple inches of snow./slush. A few minutes later rain again, so I got brave and stayed a little longer, which was very nearly a bad call! The sidewalks were treacherous this morning too! I remember a Sinbad stand up from years ago where he said something like, I don’t think there is one snow shovel in the whole state of Tennessee.
Beautiful Pictures UG !
Love these pictures. We couldn’t have gotten downtown to see this if we had tried!!!
All that white makes Shaft shiver. I vote the Krutch Park pond picture is next year’s Christmas card.
Absolutely gorgeous!!! We did not even get the grass covered. Wish I had loaded up the “warden” and the Newfie to go downtown and play. Remember, I’m from Colorado and actually miss snow! Great pictures as usual. Do you give lessons?
I loved this snow. As soon as I got home to my house on the other side of the bridge, I immediately bundled up and walked downtown. Met some friends at the Brewery (Downtown Grill) for a few beers. Snow days are great in downtown. It’s mostly residents and on this occassion a few workers who were stuck.
Thanks for all the comments, everybody. Greg, I didn’t know it was up to the store owners to shovel their sidewalks. I wonder if they know that. It would definitely help, but I think they were scrambling to get their employees home, which I respect. As Mr. T and Andrea said, they probably don’t have shovels. Ratchet, I also love the quiet times downtown when it’s just a few good friends about. Not to say that I don’t appreciate the crowds that come the other times. Mr. 36, I’m not in any position to teach photography. I’m planning on taking lessons from John Black, myself. I’m more in the right place with a camera in my hand from time to time – and I take a thousand shots to get a good one!