Seasons of a Street

This is a story from 2013, a time when Work From Home (WFH) was uncommon, and I commuted to work every weekday.

When I used to go to my office in the morning, just before reaching my destination, I would switch from the main roads to residential streets for about 2.5 km. Although these streets had a speed limit of 40 km/h compared to 60 km/h on the main roads, the travel time remained nearly the same due to the absence of traffic. Moreover, driving at a slower pace allowed me to appreciate the beauty of the houses’ front lawns. For almost ten years, I took the same route and witnessed how the streets transformed from one season to another.

After a light snowfall on the night of February 27th, 2013, the streets were covered in slushy snow, yet the trees looked stunning, compelling me to pause for a moment and capture their beauty with my phone camera. (Buying a smartphone a few months earlier turned out to be a smart decision!)

As winter gradually progressed toward spring, I continued capturing photos of the same street at regular intervals. This is how the street transformed throughout the year.

March 6, 2013: Although the snow remains piled along the roadside, the trees hint that winter will soon come to an end.

It is March 13th, and looks like that the end of winter is in sight.

The view of the street on March 15, 2013.

By the end of March, the snow has nearly melted away.

It’s time to celebrate April Fools’ Day — no snow left!

By the first week of May 2013, the grass had turned green.

It is mid-May and most trees have got some fresh leaves.

The view of the street on May 31st, 2013.

It’s mid-August, and the trees are loaded with leaves. From here on, it’s all downhill into the fall season.

It’s the first week of October, and the trees have already started shedding some leaves.

It’s mid-October, and fall colours have begun to appear on some trees.

By the first week of November, most of the leaves had fallen.

Snow covered street on Nov 27, 2013. The circle is complete!