Saturday, December 30, 2017

Top Ten: Friends

I might have set the record this year for "Top Ten" photos taken by someone else.

This photo was snapped the afternoon of March 14th, as the biggest snowfall in the history of northeastern Pennsylvania was winding down.  Several of us spent the night at one of the hotels next to WNEP in Moosic, and we assembled in the lobby for a late afternoon beverage.  I handed my phone to a woman at the bar, who took the photo above.  Sorry.  I never got her name.

I look awful here.  I was up since the night before, and spent all day working in the snow.

The snow was miserable.  I remember looking out the window and thinking "This snow is never going to stop."  Memories of that day came back this week as I watched the snow pile up in Erie.  I honestly don't know how they deal with it.  The "lake effect" machine gets cranked up every year.

From left to right:  Joe Snedeker, me, Mindi Ramsey, news photographer Erich Granahan, producer Teresa Psolka, Tom Williams, producer/editor Brittany Lovette.  Erich and I worked together from 2:30 am to 3:00 pm.  Our truck became stuck in the snow four times.  Erich always managed to maneuver it out, and we had a lot of help along the way.  I remember trying to think of a pretty spot for our noon broadcast.  There wasn't one.  Visibility was just about zero.  You couldn't see what was behind me.  We settled for a Walmart parking lot.

Hanging with your friends can make a bad situation tolerable, and occasionally a lot of fun.  My schedule doesn't allow a lot of socialization with the team.  This was an unexpected treat, and one of the bright spots in 2017.