Starting out the new year with our unseasonably warm weather thrills me. I’m not a fan of cold weather or frequent snows and since we have already logged six weeks or so with little discomfort, I have cause to be thankful. I know some people enjoy an occasional snow day and I believe I would, too. A cozy day at home by the fireplace with some cocoa and a book — who wouldn’t appreciate that? But like mail carriers, news photographers must venture out in the snow and ice to do their work. Though I didn’t know it at the time, these jeans on Chapel Street in Northampton hung out to dry on a sunny December 50-degree day served as a sign of days to come.
— Text and photo by Jerrey Roberts