"Baby, It's Cold Out There..." New York. Jan. - Feb. 2011.

The cold weather has been a real bear here in the Northeast the past few weeks. Here's a brief look at what I've been shooting lately. (How many days until pitchers and catchers report in MLB Spring Training...?) ~cg.

United States Coast Guard Cutter Sturgeon Bay (WTGB 109) of Bayonne, NJ steams upriver to clear the shipping lanes of ice along the Hudson River in West Point, NY on Thursday, February 3, 2011. Temperatures reached into the 30˚'s in the Hudson Valley region after a two-day storm brought snow, sleet and freezing temperatures from the Southwestern states to New England. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

United States Coast Guard Cutter Sturgeon Bay (WTGB 109) of Bayonne, NJ steams downriver to clear the shipping lanes of ice along the Hudson River in Cornwall, NY on Thursday, February 3, 2011. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

City of Newburgh Department of Public Works (DPW) snow plow driver Paul Taylor is seen reflected in the mirror of Ed Mitzner's truck as they plow streets in the City of Newburgh, NY on Wednesday, February 2, 2011. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Vehicle buried in snow on Crescent Avenue in the City of Newburgh, NY on Wednesday, February 2, 2011. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Eastbound traffic (left lanes) on Route 84 in Newburgh, NY on Wednesday January 12, 2011. The third major snowstorm of the winter has blanketed the East Coast from Georgia to New England. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

A man shovels the sidewalk in front of his Liberty Street home in Newburgh, NY on Wednesday January 12, 2011. The third major snowstorm of the winter has blanketed the East Coast from Georgia to New England. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

"Snow...!!!" 28•Feb•10

More on the snowstorm of February 2010.

I can't write on just one specific day of snowstorm coverage this week, so this is sort of a recap of the last 3-4 days, if you will. Basically it hammered us. We have two deaths reported here in our ciculation area of Orange County, NY. I couldn't keep track of the days I was out there shoveling, shoveling again and then shoveling some more. 200,000 utility customers lost power during the week and I was one of them. Late Thursday night I lost power and was expected to be out and about making images early Friday morning. As difficult as it was to get going that cold morning - the bigger problem was finding a reliable wi-fi location so I could move images to the paper. Walking the neighborhood those first few hours on Friday was even a challenge, so making images close to home sort of became an adventure of sorts.
Once we realized that there was electrical power in a neighboring town, and specifically in a business / strip mall area, I headed to the local Panera Bread shop to utilize their wi-fi, have a good, hot lunch and meet with colleagues and friends who all had the same ideas. All in all, some 30" or more fell just in my area here in the eastern most part of Orange County, along the Hudson River. Friday's workday ended with a search for an open gas station, as well as a few supplies from the supermarket (which was powered by their own generator, and I remembered how odd it was to see this huge building all lit up in the snowstorm, while every other business establishment was dark on Friday night.)

There is really nothing nice about having to work out in the elements. Blowing winds, moisture, fallen trees, and treacherous driving conditions make even the simplest of days and getting around my coverage area a nightmare.

Here are a few more images from the week in no particular order: