In the beginning, we were supposed to get 12-20 inches of snow. Then 18-24 inches of snow. Then 20-30 inches of snow. A rumor dropped that it may actually end up being a full 36 inches.

Now, I’m not sure how many inches we actually got. About knee high. 20 inches maybe? Regardless, I saw far less panic after it actually happened than I did shortly before. Saturday afternoon, toward the end of the wind and snowfall, I decided to investigate the aftermath with my camera.

Unfortunately, my neighborhood wasn’t plowed. I had to hop-skip-and-jump from the sidewalk, to the curb, and out into the road. Luckily, there were very few people out driving. I made my way to Stadium Armory metro and commuted out to Smithsonian station. I was surprised at how many people had shown up on the National Mall to enjoy the snow. There were plenty of people having snowball fights, playing football, or just goofing around with their friends. There were only a few narrow paths to traverse. Every time someone fell, it would hold up everyone behind them. It was a good thing that everyone was of good spirit and no one seemed to mind.

I made it all the way out to Lincoln Memorial, past the buried World War II Memorial and frozen reflecting pool, and then around Constitution Gardens. Around Constitution Gardens, as the sun began to set, the cold had sapped the charge from both of my batteries. I wasn’t done yet; I warmed my batteries as best I could. I was able to finish the trip before my batteries gave up entirely. It was a good thing, too — some of the best shots came out in the dusk light over the snow. It was dark by the time I got home.

In lieu of adding the photos to my photography site, I’ve created a public facebook photo album.

Visit “DC Winter Wonderland” album on facebook