+ By Leslie Billman

The theme for this essay arises from my enthusiasm for snowstorms and the beauty (and inconvenience) that they leave in their wake. I have lived in downtown Annapolis for nearly 35 years and was not at all put out about getting out to chronicle the storms’ beauty around our city.
The photographs are arranged chronologically—the first image was taken in 2003, and the last one was taken in 2016. I don’t recall any significant, lasting accumulations of snow since then, although we have since had rapidly disappearing storms that blanketed our area but melted almost immediately. I fear that climate change has robbed us of those beautiful, exciting weather emergencies, replacing them with true weather disasters.
Those were indeed the days, my friends. I’d love to see them return. 

Ice Breaker (February 18, 2003). An icebreaker boat tries to clear a way through ice on Spa Creek.
Snowy Path (February 12, 2006). St. John’s College.
Pinkney Street (February 12, 2006).
Fleet Street (February 12, 2006).
Today’s News (February 7, 2010). The city newspaper stands buried in snow.
St. Anne’s, Church Circle (2010). St. Anne’s Church nearly obscured during blizzard snowfall.
St. Anne’s, Church Circle (2010). St. Anne’s Church nearly obscured during blizzard snowfall.
Main Street (February 6, 2010). Main Street and pedestrians during a blizzard.
Roads Closed (January 24, 2016). Snow piled high on a backyard bicycle.