January 31, 2010
In honor of our little “snow storm” we’re experiencing here in NC (which, by the way, means 4 inches of snow and 1 inch of ice has plunged us into a State of Emergency and has effectively shut the whole state down), I’ll repost this little entry from about a year ago. Enjoy!
Ok, ok, I know there are some of you that may think this is something easily accomplished when you are six years old, but considering I am from Eastern North Carolina where 1) the average temperature in winter is 50 degrees and 2) there is mostly flat coastal plain, I have never had the opportunity.
I remember when I was younger and we had one snow storm, my father MADE a sled out of wood. We had one slight hill in my neighborhood, but it really didn’t work for sledding. I could drag my younger brother around, which was fun for him, but I soon realized I was getting the raw end of the deal. My father tried to remedy this situation and tied the sled to the back of his Ford Ranger. He plopped my brother and I down on the sled, bundled in scratchy Army blankets, and we took off behind him down our road. This worked until he stopped to check on us. When he got back in the truck to continue our ride, he took off too quickly, taking the sled and leaving my brother and I and all of our blankets sitting on the icy road.
Needless to say, I don’t count this experience as having gone sledding. I attended Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia; by attending a school in the mountains, I thought for sure I would get the chance to go sledding. Even before I began my studies there, I had heard stories of girls sledding down Tinker Beach (a large hill behind Tinker Dorm where girls would sunbathe in warmer months) on cafeteria trays. Alas, I managed to miss all of the snow storms during my tenure, either being away for the Christmas holidays or away on internships during the month-long January term.
So today when I was out and about helping cover both the winter weather and the Presidential Inauguration, I saw some kids sledding down the big hill near the Amphitheater at Neuse River in Downtown Smithfield. I pulled over to get some video footage and mentioned to one of the parents that I had never experienced it. She quickly offered up a sled and, with camera in hand, I took off down the hill.
It was almost fun enough to wish I lived in snowier areas of the country. Almost.
Ah this makes me somewhat sentimental. And then I remember how many times I’ve have sled right into a tree and I snap out of it.
Yeah, seeing that girl hit the post really made me cringe. I’ll bet she had a huge bruise on her thigh the next day.