The main attraction of agreeing to relocate to the east coast was the thrill of being in New England. The romance of the local history, the mountains and the magical spell of seasons changing scored higher than the obvious lack of career opportunities in the north east.
When my friends heard the last reason why I left a perfectly good job and a great career in India to come here they were aghast and very skeptical. "Last through one winter!" they dared.
In June the weather was perfect; sunshine, warmth, outdoors and crowds, just like in India, maybe tad better. Tennis, football games, roadside cafes and freeways with the windows rolled down were everyday activities. In the glorious sunny weather we hiked up Mt.Monadnock, Mt.Lincoln and Mt.Lafayett. When fall arrived we drove into the magical land of New Hampshire fall colors. We went up Mt.Washington and bravely stood in the place with the most severe weather in the world.
As the temperatures started to drop my excitement rose, friends and family started getting emails with daily updates of the weather. Finally one day the water puddle beside the road turned solid and I announced the official arrival of winter.
So also did CNN with the news that ski areas in north New Hampshire were open. Memories of my winter in Zugspitz, Germany brought images of me tumbling in deep snow on a mountain peak with surroundings blanketed in white snow. However when we visited Nashoba valley ski area I was shocked to see only the hill had a light snow sheath, and that too only some parts. It is a common practice to artificially blow snow to make ski tracks. I had presumed there would already be a deep snow cover. Pooh...!
Then one day WBZ's weather bulletin forecast 2-4 inches snow in Billerica; finally it was coming! But the day set and roads were still dry. One last peek outside before bed showed not a white speck anywhere.
As always, next morning when hubby left for work I opened the blinds...
...and it was like opening a door to a vast white magic world! The trees, the cars, the roads, the lawns, bushes, even my balcony and the thin iron railing had a thick layer of snow! For a moment the apartment filled with my squeals. I rushed excitedly onto the balcony and promptly went sliding away on the icy surface :-) While hubby groaned and swept the snow off the car I busily took as many photographs as possible before my fingers and feet froze.
No way I was going to stay indoors. Later in the afternoon swathed in 3 layers of woolens, a scarf, gloves, balaclava and snow jacket I stepped out. Remembering my experience walking the roads of Munich in winter I was careful stepping on the ice coated roads and after some wobbling managed to walk gingerly without sliding. The snow on the sidewalk was a dirty brown with imprints of all feet that had trodden upon it. But everywhere else it was a pristine white like a layer of shiny icing on a chocolate cake, tempting, very tempting. A young boy was clomping his way through the snow and I could feel a stupid grin creep up my face. All this was exactly what I had come here for!
Reaching the Billerica commons was like coming upon the perfect winter postcard; tall trees covered with snow, a little bandstand with icicles lining the roof and the entire ground one unbroken spread of white. Here no one had walked all day. Gaping at the beauty I missed the pedestrian signal turn green and back red.
I dropped in at the library and returned O! Jerusalem. After two hours when I prepared to leave the company of books it was dark outside and I knew exactly what to expect.
If in the daylight the commons had the picture perfect look, in the dark the colored twinkling Christmas lights on all trees turned it into a fairyland. The snow and the wet road reflected all light colors and the entire area had the look of zillions of shimmering balls floating about. My grin returned :)
When my friends heard the last reason why I left a perfectly good job and a great career in India to come here they were aghast and very skeptical. "Last through one winter!" they dared.
In June the weather was perfect; sunshine, warmth, outdoors and crowds, just like in India, maybe tad better. Tennis, football games, roadside cafes and freeways with the windows rolled down were everyday activities. In the glorious sunny weather we hiked up Mt.Monadnock, Mt.Lincoln and Mt.Lafayett. When fall arrived we drove into the magical land of New Hampshire fall colors. We went up Mt.Washington and bravely stood in the place with the most severe weather in the world.
As the temperatures started to drop my excitement rose, friends and family started getting emails with daily updates of the weather. Finally one day the water puddle beside the road turned solid and I announced the official arrival of winter.
So also did CNN with the news that ski areas in north New Hampshire were open. Memories of my winter in Zugspitz, Germany brought images of me tumbling in deep snow on a mountain peak with surroundings blanketed in white snow. However when we visited Nashoba valley ski area I was shocked to see only the hill had a light snow sheath, and that too only some parts. It is a common practice to artificially blow snow to make ski tracks. I had presumed there would already be a deep snow cover. Pooh...!
Then one day WBZ's weather bulletin forecast 2-4 inches snow in Billerica; finally it was coming! But the day set and roads were still dry. One last peek outside before bed showed not a white speck anywhere.
As always, next morning when hubby left for work I opened the blinds...
...and it was like opening a door to a vast white magic world! The trees, the cars, the roads, the lawns, bushes, even my balcony and the thin iron railing had a thick layer of snow! For a moment the apartment filled with my squeals. I rushed excitedly onto the balcony and promptly went sliding away on the icy surface :-) While hubby groaned and swept the snow off the car I busily took as many photographs as possible before my fingers and feet froze.
No way I was going to stay indoors. Later in the afternoon swathed in 3 layers of woolens, a scarf, gloves, balaclava and snow jacket I stepped out. Remembering my experience walking the roads of Munich in winter I was careful stepping on the ice coated roads and after some wobbling managed to walk gingerly without sliding. The snow on the sidewalk was a dirty brown with imprints of all feet that had trodden upon it. But everywhere else it was a pristine white like a layer of shiny icing on a chocolate cake, tempting, very tempting. A young boy was clomping his way through the snow and I could feel a stupid grin creep up my face. All this was exactly what I had come here for!
Reaching the Billerica commons was like coming upon the perfect winter postcard; tall trees covered with snow, a little bandstand with icicles lining the roof and the entire ground one unbroken spread of white. Here no one had walked all day. Gaping at the beauty I missed the pedestrian signal turn green and back red.
I dropped in at the library and returned O! Jerusalem. After two hours when I prepared to leave the company of books it was dark outside and I knew exactly what to expect.
If in the daylight the commons had the picture perfect look, in the dark the colored twinkling Christmas lights on all trees turned it into a fairyland. The snow and the wet road reflected all light colors and the entire area had the look of zillions of shimmering balls floating about. My grin returned :)
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