On Sunday, the Groundhog came out and saw his shadow, thus predicting 6 more weeks of winter. And the very next day, we were hit by an unexpectedly hard snowstorm. The fact that our weathermen are getting outclassed by an animal in a hole tells us how much they really know. We took a morning and evening ride around Woodhaven and here is our report. Although the snow was coming down hard, schools were open and here we can see some students trudging through the snow up 87th Street to St. Thomas the Apostle.  School would eventually close around 11 AM.

The snow was heavy and was sticking to branches and wires right from the start, creating the potential for dangerous conditions. From what we can tell, though, we ended up lucking out. This time.

I think this sign says it all - stop!! We've had enough.  But by the end of the day we were hearing reports of more snow coming in within 36 hours.

This heavy snow made simple tasks hard. This baby stroller would have been easier to push had it been on skis.

The snow was pouring down hard, piling up fast, making for a miserable morning commute.

But the trusty J Train was running on time, getting people to their destination on time.  If you have fond memories of the J Train, you can always pick up one of our J Train T-Shirts here.  All proceeds go to the Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society.

The plows and salters were out on the main roads early and often, keeping jamaica Avenue clean for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.

Here's a really nice shot of the J Train, speeding towards the city. 

A lot of people complain about the number of small grocery stores along the avenue, but these guys are always open - and within walking distance.

It was still early and the snow was sticking pretty good as people made their way down the avenue to work or school.

You can see that the snow is starting to really stick and pile up on the sidewalks and the streets are starting to get messy. 

By the time we got home from our trip around Woodhaven the streets were really starting to get messy.  Fortified with the essentials - milk, eggs, bread and beer - we hunkered down inside to wait for it to end.

This snow in particular had a nice way of adding nice touches to trees and bushes. 

The view from our back window - you can see that a few inches have fallen now, and that the streets are covered pretty well with snow.

The temps were hovering right around the freezing mark; a few degrees higher and we'd be looking at rain.  As a result, the snow was heavy and wet. 

The snow ended around 6:30 and as the roads were pretty clean, we decided to take a 2nd trip out around Woodhaven.  Here we are on Park Lane South, this bench giving you a pretty good idea how much snow was thrown at us.

Here is a beautiful shot taken along Park Lane South looking up at the tennis courts. 

Another beautiful shot of the park, this time the steps at Park Lane and Forest Parkway.

Here's an nice shot of the FDNY Dispatcher building at Park Lane and Woodhaven, with a pickup truck with a plow clearing the sidewalk. 

Sometimes, converting snow pictures into black and white makes them seem colder.  Here, a young couple bundled up with hoods on struggle to get their baby's carriage up the steps. The sidewalk is a wet, slushy mess. The ice machine sits there, the snow painted on its' lettering looking almost real in this setting.

We saw a bicyclist earlier in the morning. Getting home at night on the roads after nearly 10 inches have fallen might not be as easy.

A blast of color -- street lights and traffic lights and bright white snow.  Looks almost like a movie set.

Back to black and white - you ever wonder what sneakers hung from power lines look like after a hard snowstorm?  Here's your answer. 

This update started with pictures of people trudging through the snow to school and work; it ends with a shot of people trudging through the snow on their way home, after having had fun in the park with their sleds and their dog. 

In the mood for more snow pics? Click here to see some bonus pictures from the previous week's storms.

If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com.  

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Photos by Joey Wendell