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Adventures In Snow
January 2002
Snow is sometimes late in coming – as it has been this year, but when it arrives the world around us is transformed. We have a gift of new colors to enjoy (for shades of white and gray are our winter colors, just as shades of green and yellow are those of spring and summer, and red and gold those of autumn). We feel the crunch of new snow under our feet and the softness of falling flakes on our cheeks. We bundle up in warm clothes and feel the contrast of the cold outside and the warmth within.
It is a time to put on our skis and snowboards, to pull out our sleds, and to slide down the many slopes we have in the Catskill Region. In our cover photograph, we can almost feel the fresh air in the mountains under a sparkling clear sky as a happy snowboarder makes his way down the slope. As we open our portfolio we see a youngster making a turn too swiftly for the camera to catch; all we can see are sprays of flakes and streaks of shadows. Then we come across a frozen scene in which a windswept sky and ground blend together to provide a challenge to an ambitious child.
In this month’s portfolio we couldn’t resist two double page spreads to help capture the spirit of the season. In the first we sympathize with the hard work of climbing up the hill, while the hovering clouds offer the promise of more snow. In the second the weather has changed—the sun sparkles brightly in the blue sky and we can feel the thrill of sliding down the hill. In both, there is an extraordinary mid-winter expanse.
We end as we began – with movement too swift to capture with the camera. Here again, the blurry figure conveys the sheer joy of adventure in the snow, especially when we are never quite sure of the path our slide will take.
— David Finn
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