Snow: A beginner's tale

Up until a few days ago I have had three memorable experiences with "snow".

I say "snow" and not snow because about 2 out of those 3 times some bubble buster had to break my heart and tell me it's sleet. What ever.

Experience number one:

I'm two or three years old, my family, minus my unborn sister at this stage, is driving back from Durban. We hit snow somewhere in the middle. I remember white, I remember my dad making a snowball and I remember crying because of the unnecessary pain that snow causes little two or three year old hands.

Experience number 2:

I was in primary school, and the snow came down hard. Which should have been my first clue that the "snow" was in fact freaking sleet. My memory of this basically involves a very painful snowball.

Experience number 3:

A few decades later I wake up to white windowsills and a silver car turned snowmobile. I wake up my roommate so we can go frolic about in the "snow" that fell early. We built a snowman...FINE ... a sleetman, (8cm tall). I slipped and fell on ice, in front of my neighbours, my then single and handsome neighbours...

Soooo you'd imagine the excitement a southern hemisphere snow-less African like myself would feel when she knows she's about to experience real snow. Super excited, and all this at Christmas time too. What a treat. Just like in the movies, but I could do a whole other post on 'the just like in the movies' American experience.

First real experience: Road trip to Missoula, Montana.

At first I took a million (now) boring pictures like this one.

But truly the magic didn't wear off fast. I've been around old snow, on the Alps of course, but the delight of new, fresh, fluffy, sparkly snow is an experience nobody forgets.

First snow experience excitement dance, right before first snow excitement snowball attack.

I'm still to be in actual falling snow... which better happen North West America!! No pressure. I'm still to build that SNOWman, debating the whole snow-angel thing, is it really that awesome? I like to have that option.

One experience involving snow I can tick off my list is hiking into a forest for 2,5 km taking all my warm clothes off and jumping in a hot-spring. Check.

Hot-water springs in middle of nowhere Idaho.
You'd think the 2,5km hike back would suck, but no, because it looks like this:

Walking back was surreal, I tried not to get too caught up in taking pictures or stretching my limited writing brain at how to "capture this magic". No none of that, just doing my very best at being in those beautiful moments.

Now for the snow to hit Spokane(current and month long location btw)... Why I ask you with tears in my eyes would the weather look like this, and not snow???

You got distracted by the 'jello wrestling' too huh?

(To be fair, there is has been way more sunshine than cloudy days, I just somehow needed to work in my picture of the 'jello wrestling' sign)

Anyway, I think I have a few new top snow experiences for next time I'm searching for small talk topics.

Shopping at intersections: the easiest way to shop this festive season.

I'm simply amazed at the amount of drive through everywheres and convenience of getting anythings here in the good ol US of A. Wow, America, impressive. I for one want to stop and get coffee just about every 50 meters (or yards or feet or something), just because it's possible.

As one does when travelling, I compare the strangeness of countries. "Ooo you can drink tap water here but not there" "I can afford a full day at the Spa here, but nothing to eat there" "I would go to jail for this in this country but not in that country... interesting".

Out here in the North West of the glorious USA they have a lot more drive through stops. Cool.
Back home in darling Jozi we have drive by intersection shopping. (Yes, this is yet another post about fun at the intersection.)

So let me share just that:
Let's start of the basics, not to uncommon a sight world wide I should think

The newspaper guy.
The guy who started it all. The guy who made other guys think "hey, that guy earns a living selling stuff at redlights... hmmmm, must find a gap in the market and fill it"

So important events created a gap.

Just by driving around on a Saturday you'd be able to know some important game was on. Fail-proof.
Sadly I have no pictures of this but other events like Christmas and Valentines day will surely fill the streets. I'm not home right now but I could bet my favourite Disney character's life on the fact that Santa hats are being sold on William Nicol right now (well not now cause it's the middle of the night now...well)

Then, the basics you'll find just about anywhere:

Sunglasses... because you know, you're driving, you forget your sunnies, you're sad because the possibility of an accident just increased, fret not, this guy will be there for you within stops.

Phone cover guy, this gap must have been created because busy people upgrade their phones like every week, and who has the time to actually go out and buy a shocking pink cover? Clearly nobody.

Again, making perfect sense, license covers, for your car. You're in a car when you see this so it's pretty easy check if you need one.

Food guy

That's one less trip to the store for you. Jo'burg can do convenience too.

And then there must surely be a big market in the kids section. I'm rather childless myself, but imagine the power of buying toys for kids to shut them up works wonders. Or there must just be a significant amount of parents that forgot to buy little Suzzies friend that birthday gift. Now it's Saturday morning, time for the party, but no gift... suspense. No problem Mom can just drive the Beyers Naude route to fix that dilemma.

a barbie poster, fancy?

pink ladybugs, yes?

a marching Winnie the Pooh, wish I had a better picture of this.

a toy bow and arrow kit... hoping that this is a 'toy'

fake snakes, how awesome

There are so many other amusing things sold at traffic lights, I could go on forever, or could at least do this post in volumes or maybe alphabetical order.
Hmmm... coming next. Volume two: Atlas posters to chargers. Volume three: Dinosaur blowups to Tacky paintings... we'll see.

under what to add "juggling plastic chicken guy" ???

And just because I'm in the States at this minute I'll end off with this pretty darn weird thing you can buy at the side of the road.