For most Austinites, New Year’s Day is the calm after the party-driven storm of New Year’s Eve, a Sabbath of sorts that sees many businesses shutting down and peeps staying bundled up in their homes – especially this year, when an unexpected bout of overnight snow and ice propelled outdoor conditions far past our usual level of acceptable chill.
As an ATX native (read: winter wimp), I was tempted to hibernate, too. But on the cusp of debuting my vision of Austin via this weekly column as Snapshot – by photographing events, people, ideas, happenings, and even happenstance – it got me thinking: What better way to do so than by walking the city on the first day of 2018, gathering glimpses of stories through images as I go?
So, wearing several sweaters, a scarf that made my neck disappear, and two-and-a-half pairs of pants (for real), I pushed the boundaries of my blood circulation and set out – through the winding passes of the west hills, through a couple south side hoods and Zilker Park, and finally through the main avenues of Downtown into North Austin – to capture the spirit of this new year so far with photos and the occasional conversation. Here’s a snapshot of that journey.
Enormous icicles formed during the NYE cold front lining the limestone walls of Loop 360 near Pennybacker Bridge begin to melt with the minuscule temperature increase of a sunrise muted by cloud cover. It’s a rare sight in Austin – even lovelier than usual for the myriad metaphors of transformation one could draw from them in the context of New Year’s Day.
Jennifer Ransom Rice, 43, of Tarrytown, one of hundreds who participated in the Polar Bear Splash at Barton Springs Pool, an annual swim for brave/insane people: “My grandmother had a superstition that whatever you’re doing on New Year’s Day, you’ll be doing the rest of the year. When I did this the first time three years ago, I decided I wanted to spend my days trying new things and being surrounded by friends, so this is the start of that – it washes off the last year and starts you fresh.”
Lucky, 39, a homeless man from Tulsa, Okla., who’s posted up on South Congress Avenue near Gibson Street, shares songs by Texas classics like Willie Nelson and Guy Clark, and offers his best advice for success in the year: “Above all else, take care of your social self and your spiritual self – call your mom and your dad, and those close to you often, and tell them you love them. Bless others and you’ll be blessed.”
Got an event, happening, idea, or person you think Snapshot should capture? Email the photographer: dhall@austinchronicle.com
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