Record snow fall for Baltimore

On Saturday 19 December 2009 Baltimore experienced a record level of snow: 20.5 inches with a total accumulation of 21.1 inches for Saturday and Sunday. Old record for total snowfall in December was 20.4 inches in 1966. Old record for any date in December was 11.5 inches on Dec. 17, 1932. I do not think that too many of us remember that snow. I do remember the one in 1966. I was living in Washington DC and a Western Rite Roman Catholic attending St. Gregory of Nyssa Byzantine Rite Catholic Church. Our priest, Fr. John Danilak, was not able to get out of the back door of the rectory to come to the church until I shoveled the snow.

Because of the snow, services in many churches were cancelled in Baltimore. The whole weekend was cancelled at Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church and I presume that Liturgy was cancelled at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation. We had a St. Nicholas Day program scheduled for the children at Holy Trinity.

On the old calendar day of St. Nicholas, I received in e-mail a wonderful article about one of the many miracles of St. Nicholas and I recommend that you read it. When Sidney asked me "What possessed you to be Orthodox instead of Baptist?" I wish that I could had referred him to this article.

I slept late and when I did get out of bed, I went outside and helped David shovel snow. He was already in front of my house by this time. I continued the front of my house and most of the house next door where Ms. Ernestine lives. She is 84 years old. We obviously do not expect her to shovel next to her house.

Then I walked around the neighborhood and took some photographs. I concentrated mainly in the park across the street from me. While I was shoveling snow I also took photographs of the children who happened to be in the area. I also met some neighbors whom I have not met in the past.

While I was shoveling snow a vehicle from the Fire Department was driving up and down the streets and trying to find 600 George Street. We all knew where George Street, but none of us knew that it picks up on the other side of Pennslyvania Avenue. I did a mapquest from my house to the address. And people tell me that it is easier to get around Baltimore than Washington DC. This is another proof that it is not.

As far as I know, the street that they were trying to find is not marked. In fact, I would not even call it a street nor an alley. It appears to be just a walkway.