Well, I leave the blog for a few days and the next thing I know is that all the snow pictures I posted last week now look very much out of place. All signs of snowy weather around town are long gone by now.

Early last week a rather heavy winter jacket was mandatory, and by this past weekend shorts and short sleeves were more the norm around Roanoke. And I think I may have heard a lawnmower running in my neighborhood, but I can’t confirm nor deny such claim.

The heat of Saturday and Sunday really caught me off guard. I had seen the forecasts of temperatures near 80 but it didn’t really register in my mind. That is, until it actually reached 80. Then, I thought, this is hot!

Because of the unexpected rapid change in temperature over the past few days, I nearly broke down and turned on the A/C. But, by after dark in the evenings it started to cool off a bit.

I’m not a huge fan of the bitter cold, and likewise not of the heat, so hopefully we will have a good several weeks of the middle ground. We all know the middle ground, something like highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s. The kind of weather when I wear a light jacket to work in the morning, but by the afternoon I find myself carrying it instead.

And I actually don’t mind having to carry it in that instance.

In the meantime I’m still thinking about the crazy change in weather. That’s just the month of the March I suppose.

And that’s just Roanoke.

I think it has been at least a couple years since real, legitimate, school-closing-snow has occurred in Roanoke. I know schools can close for a dusting nowadays, but this time the winter weather actually warranted a close. And it seems to me that it may be considerably longer since I remember there being a snowfall with amounts exceeding 3-4 inches.

I like the snow. I don’t have 4-wheel drive but (with the awesomeness of manual transmission) I’m completely comfortable driving in these conditions. The worst part of the entire storm is the aftermath of clearing the snow off of the car, which took a good 20 minutes this time around.

Anyways, on to some photos:

Unofficial snow total on top of my car. I believe much more snow and ice fell, but this is the amount that stuck.

A different scene at Norwich Park than the previous post. Snow covers the entire park.

Memorial Bridge with some slush left after the snow.

Memorial Bridge the morning after the snow.

Snow on the railroad tracks in downtown Roanoke.

Looking down Jefferson Street in downtown Roanoke the morning after the snow.

Snow on the Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial Bridge in the late afternoon after the snow.

By late afternoon after the storm Mill Mountain only shows some faint signs of the snow remaining.

During the early evening commute home yesterday the roads were pretty clear, but the median still covered in snow.

UPDATED - See bottom of post for more recent pictures and snow accumulation total.

It’s snowing in Roanoke!

With only about 3 weeks left of winter, Roanoke is finally getting some snow. Some measurable snow that is.

It all started last night. I woke up today and noticed there was a very light dusting outside in certain areas. The snow was only sticking on about half of my yard, and the roads were pretty clear.

Here are some pictures of spots with the heaviest snow in my yard from earlier this morning.

Snow dusting in my yard earlier this morning.

For the rest of the late morning and early afternoon it was quiet outside. Then, around 2PM this afternoon the snow started back up, and it has been putting it down pretty good since then

Here are some pictures from other areas in my neighborhood around the time the snow really started to fall.

Snow Falling at Norwich Park in Roanoke a little earlier today.

Snow falling on the Memorial Bridge in Roanoke.

Snow falling in Roanoke while looking over the side of the Memorial Bridge.

It’s getting a little slushy on the roads and it’s starting to accumulate on the grassy areas.

So, another otherwise lazy Sunday afternoon is now just a little more exciting.

Still snowing very hard and it’s a thick, wet snow. Starting to accumulate quickly. At my house there is about 1 1/2 inches now.

Snow accumulation in my yard.

Since Sunday the temperatures have been quite cool around Roanoke. No, not sub-zero, but it has been sub-freezing which is cool enough.

On cold mornings like we’ve experienced recently, I always have that sinking feeling of having to wake and leave my warm bed. It’s not easy. When I hear the cold engine of my car briefly struggle to turn over, I quietly respond by saying, “Mr. Car, I don’t want to be getting out in this cold anymore than you, but let’s make the best of it.”

Anyways, despite the cold weather it has been rather sunny, so I took a few more pictures downtown earlier in the week.

View of downtown Roanoke looking from the Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial Bridge.

Railroad Tracks in Downtown Roanoke, mountains in the distance.

State of Virginia Marker along the Railwalk in Downtown Roanoke.

At least twice a week I enjoy getting out and doing some bicycling around town.

During warmer months I’ll meet some friends and head down to one of Roanoke’s greenways. Each visit to one of the greenways is usually an adventure in itself (as I’ve written about here when exploring them).

But, when it’s colder outside and daylight is limited I just take out the bike and ride around my own Virginia Heights neighborhood. As it often turns out, Sunday afternoon is one of the days of the week when I go for a ride.

(It helps to keep me active. I tried using a stationary bike but there was something that seemed subconsciously unproductive about peddling and peddling and getting nowhere.)

As I’ve ridden around the neighborhood I’ve noticed that Sunday is a popular day for doing laundry, myself included by the way.

And I came to this realization while riding around not because I look for clothes hanging and drying on the line. It’s way too cold for that now anyways.

I realized it because the smell of laundry detergent fills the air along various stretches of the neighborhood. So much so that when I pass by certain areas I even remember the scent! I don’t know the brands, but it sure is better than smelling and breathing just plain old air.

Maybe I’m crazy, but it’s the little and simple things like this that I seem to notice much more often now as I get older.

Have a great Monday!

Just a single picture update today. I took this while walking across the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Bridge in downtown Roanoke yesterday. Temperatures are much cooler than last week, but the clouds were fairly sparse.

I look forward to the warmer months when I can venture out some more and post pictures of the downtown area.

Wachovia Tower in downtown Roanoke (2-17-09)

A few weeks ago I received a comment from a reader who lives up North and is considering moving to Roanoke. They asked me to write about Roanoke and what I think about living here. What are some of the pluses and minuses of Roanoke? What to expect and what not to expect? And, overall talk a little about the quality of life here.

With the next few posts I’ll do my best to answer these questions from my perspective, and generally so that they can apply to all ages. These posts hardly aim to cover everything about Roanoke, and I encourage you to leave comments below and add your own perspective. 

When I think about Roanoke there are a couple aspects that come to mind which I believe are a large part of the ambiance of the city. I say and know this because when I have on occasion traveled elsewhere, these are the aspects I noticed the most as missing from daily life.

Mountains

The mountains provide a background to just about everywhere I travel around town. They are always off in the distance, sitting quietly while providing scenery and a sense of protection.

As the season changes, so does the mountain’s foliage. I’m partial to the green that begins to appear in the Spring. Of course the pure white from after a moderate snowfall is quite a sight also.

Beautiful Mill Mountain as Seen from the Elm Avenue Intersection with Route 220/I-581 (5-18-08)

When I travel to other places I often feel like something is missing. At first I can’t put my finger on it, but then I realize: I have grown accustomed to the mountains. To me, a city seems much more vulnerable without them.

The mountains have become a part of my life as a Roanoke citizen, and I tend to prefer it that way.

Trains

I’m not sure if there is a spot in Roanoke that can escape from the sound of a train whistle. From my house in the City I occasionally hear the sound, as well as the gentle roaring of a train passing by along the tracks.

The railroad system in Roanoke as seen from a bridge on 10 Street SW

The railroad is very much a part of Roanoke. And if you are a Roanoke resident it will be difficult to avoid crossing a set of tracks from time to time.