Snow in North Texas is an event. Really, it’s not too unusual: it probably snows 1/4 inch or so every third year, and maybe we see the odd 6 or 14 inches once a decade. Last year’s snowpocalypse was unusual more for the excruciatingly low temperatures (1F or 0F or -1F depending on who you ask) and the massive failures of the deregulated, profit-driven energy grid and water system. Nearly one year later, we only saw 16F or 17F and only for a day. Here in Dallas County, it went easy, and it went mostly ok in the rest of the state too, though only due to the “mild” temperatures. Anything much lower and the grid would’ve failed again, and the governor and many legislators are doing everything they can to ensure its profitability in hopes that profit will encourage companies to harden their power plants against future climate events.
lol
In our little 1/3 acre of TX, we knew it was coming and prepared by putting blankets around the doors and windows, stacking firewood nearer to the fireplace, and laying in supplies, and I loaded some Polaroid Black & Blue Duochrome into the Mint SLR670-S just to see what would happen.
The storm began Wednesday evening, I think, with ice raining from the sky and twinkling against the windows and roof all night. In the morning, it was still, quiet, and very obviously icy out.
I worked most of the day and only occasionally looked out to watch the snow fall. The camera and/or film couldn’t see much, and I didn’t try too hard: too busy working.
And by the time I finished work for the day (Thursday, I think), people were out playing in the snow, and I managed to snag a few sharp-enough-to-share pictures through the playroom office windows.
And then it was more or less over.
It took a few days for all the snow in the shady area next to the garage to melt, but streets were clear and everyone was out and about on the weekend.
Alhamdulillah, we all made it through safe, warm-enough, and healthy.
Edit: after looking again, I like the three pictures off the balcony: they make a nice before/during/after set that I should’ve shared above somehow…
Fun times.
Friday night, in a questionably wasteful fit, I laid on the floor in front of the fire, and fired off 5 frames of Duochrome at 1/60th, 1/30th, 1/15th, 1/8th, and 1/4 second, all handheld. The Mint Time Machine thing really works, though I’m still not convinced by the automatic modes, and it tends to slip out of the connector on my camera far too regularly. Still, in the right hands (ie not mine) it’s probably capable of greatness.
For me, the 1/4 worked the best, and in overall, I love the Black & Blue Duochrome and I’m glad to have a 3-pack in the fridge. Hopefully Polaroid will bring it back again one day.
