MyWestworld

Let It Snow

Posted on 25. Dec, 2008 by Kerry Banks in BC

Sometimes you don’t have to travel anywhere to find yourself in an entirely different place. The big snowstorm that rolled into Vancouver this week has dramatically changed the landscape of my world. The white flakes tumbling down from heaven have softened the sharp edges of the city’s architecture and draped the streets in a veil of silence. It’s a bit like waking up and finding yourself wandering through a fairytale. And though people keep complaining about the difficulty of getting around, I have noticed that most everyone is smiling. Instead of trudging past with a stony expression on their faces, they greet you with a twinkle in their eyes. I think that the falling snow reawakens the sleeping child in all of us and reminds us of a time when life was lived entirely in the moment.

In my case, the sense of discovery has been enhanced by the fact that we recently acquired a new puppy. Her name is Lulu and she is 12 weeks old and full of vim. She’s a Sheltie, like our other dog, two-year old Jack. We initially had some concerns that the pair would not get along, but Jack has managed to control his jealousy and seems grateful for a new playmate. Lulu’s first winter has exploded with a bang and it’s a hoot watching her and Jack frolic in the drifts. I have been snapping a lot of photos of the dogs and I think that their chaotic antics have opened my eyes to some experimentation with my lens. I’ve started seeing new possibilities. A few days ago, my teenage daughter and I took the two canines down to the local forest. It was Lulu’s first venture into the woods and her first time off leash. The dogs eventually wore us out, but not before we did some bonding and filled our eyes with some spectacular natural wonders.

I was born in Toronto, so this snowfall is not a complete shock. When I was a kid I can remember the snow reaching as high as the top of our front porch. We used to build snow forts on the front lawn, which quickly turned to solid ice. One year I got stuck in the entranceway of my igloo and my mother had to rush next door to get our neighbour to haul me out. I can still remember the feel of the ice penetrating through my clothing as I lay there wedged in tight. It was not a pleasant experience.

Even though I hear some Vancouverites griping about the cold, I know that they if they think this is cold, then they must have a limited experience of Canadian winter. In Toronto, you often had to contend not only with subzero temperatures, but also a biting wind full of ice granules that would rip your face to pieces. The freeze came in late November, signalling it was time to prepare the backyard hockey rink, which my father stoically prepared each year by running the hose over the lawn for nights on end. He was dedicated to the task. I can remember looking at him out there through my bedroom window, stamping his boots with water dripping from his reddened nose. When we skated on the rink we always stayed out too long and invariably froze our feet. I would come inside and stand on the kitchen vent and wait for the circulation to begin again. It came back slowly and when it did it felt like someone was jabbing needles into your skin. 

I also lived for a time in Edmonton where you had to plug your car engine into a heater at night so that it didn’t freeze solid, and where the sun went down every day before 4:00 p.m. During my one winter in Alberta I had the misfortune of working in a factory outside of town that had no heating. The place resembled an airplane hangar with open doors at each end of the building. As a concession to the shivering workers, management hung a few space heaters from the ceiling, which were next to useless as a source of warmth unless you happened to be standing directly under one. Myself and a buddy were constructing roof tresses for prefabricated houses and our work station was located next to one of the open doors. We reported to work each morning wearing hooded parkas and longjohns. We wore gloves too, but we had to take them off to perform our job, which involved stapling segments of wood together with a nail gun. You can imagine how it felt to pick up that frigid piece of metal first thing in the morning.

 So, no, I am not finding it cold here. 

As I gaze out my office window today I see that it is still snowing. The flakes are the size of sugar plums. I am sure that walking home will prove to be an adventure. Let it snow.

Photo Credits:

#1,2,3,4: Kerry Banks

Tags: photography, Vancouver