Winter Wonderland: Snow Storm Hits Columbia

I decided to document the snow storm and take some pictures of what it was like today starting first thing in the morning looking out my windows.

Here is the view outside from my home office window.

Looking out from the dinning room.

View from one of the windows in the living room.  Note the desolate bird feeders and the trash waiting to get picked up.  They canceled trash pickup for Friday in anticipation of the cold weather.  

So far it was not actually that cold - yet. That would change in a few hours.

Lior and I had just left WalMart and the temperature dropped at least five degrees while we were inside.  This is what it looked like at Lowes.

This is Shepherd Elementary before they cleared the drive.

Later on I went to Columbia College to get ready for classes next week.

This picture is at the Stephens College campus on my way to the Columbia College Campus.

Here are pictures going onto the campus:

These are heading back out to my trusty van.

The two girls are enjoying their two days off and the roads have not been that bad after the initial treacherous conditions we had when the storm first hit. My only complaint?  Why couldn't that have waited until next week when we ALL could have benefited from the heavy snow?  I was already off.

Shelter Insurance Fountain

Shelter Insurance is famous for its five acre garden and many weddings, picnics, and ordinary day outings have utilized that beautiful space. Also, the park is the setting for the annual garden concert series which celebrated 33 consecutive years this summer. Less well know is the fountain.

I have been taking my kids to that fountain for nearly twenty five years. That time period spanned my life as a young father in college to a working professional teaching at Columbia College lucky enough to have two kids left at home. Usually we will get ice cream and go sit and watch the fountain and we are almost never alone. When I took these pictures I was there for about an hour and during that time at least twenty people had come and gone before I left. It is also a nice place to talk and the sound of the water, besides being relaxing, conveniently makes eavesdropping nearly impossible.

Although many people just drive by I urge you to stop in and park and enjoy the fountain while perhaps starting a new family tradition.



One thing about the harsh economic times is that it provides us an opportunity to rethink how we live, spend our money, and utilize the time we have on this earth. Sometimes you don't have to travel far to find sights to see and things to do.







During my lifetime a lot of things have changed in Columbia. I am thankful that the Shelter Garden and fountain are not among the things I love that have disappeared. Thanks to Shelter Insurance not only for providing jobs but also a wonderful aesthetically pleasing addition to our community. All corporate entities should be such good neighbors.

If you are driving by on West Broadway some evening, during the season when the fountain is on, do yourself a favor and stop for awhile.