Dark Forms Against the White - New York City, a Vintage Black & White Movie this Winter

Black and white -- the images of New York City, this winter.

Park bench in Central Park.

Mallard drake in the snow.

The brave shall find a way.....

How do you know its been a bad winter?

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You know it's a bad winter when 25 degrees seems pleasant to you and freezing temperature (32 degrees) seems a heat wave.

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You know its a bad winter when opening your mouth to breathe, your tongue freezes.

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You knows its a bad winter when your nose and eyes run more than the winner of the NY marathon and people look at you piteously for the constant tears streaming down your face.

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You know its a bad winter when your puffer (non-down) coat becomes your most treasured, earthly possession.

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You know its a bad winter when the ice-covered running path around the Central Park Reservoir is completely devoid of runners.

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You know its a bad winter when your Sporto snow boots (which you thought you'd rarely need) have become your main fashion statement for the past two months. 

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And you know its a bad winter when you see the mallards at Harlem Meer digging through inches of snow to the grass below because the lake has entirely iced over -- choking off their main food supplies (aquatic plants).

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And finally, you know its a really, really bad winter when even the hundreds of Canada geese and ducks who normally winter at the open water Jackie Onassis Reservoir in Central Park have been forced to take flight as their winter retreat has instead transformed into an icy glacier resembling something from the North Pole.

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Yes, it has been that kind of winter in New York City.

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A winter that has so far seen more than 40 inches of snow when the normal amount for the entire winter is 25 inches.

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A winter that has us all scratching our heads and wondering when was the last time we actually remember seeing grass -- or any color in NY?

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New York City has seemingly become a vintage black and white movie, the dark silhouettes of buildings, trees, people and animals contrasted against the constant white of the snow.

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But, still I wonder where all the geese and many of the ducks actually went to seek color and cover this winter?

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Judging from the photo contained in the article below, perhaps some place with lots of tall plants and weeds to wait out the storms and starkness of a black and white winter along most of the US.

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http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/Not-much-to-do-about-geese-report--244017931.html

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Its nice to see color again -- if only in a photo.

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But, still some of the resilient, stubborn birds of NYC remain, their dark forms now surrounded by a constant blanket of white.  -- PCA

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