Finding Delight in the Snowy Landscape

I know I am in the minority except, of course, for skiers, but I love snow. In younger days, I have always enjoyed trudging through snow in my backyard, following animal tracks and calling naturalist Gus Ben David at Felix Neck for help in identifying the tracks I described. Sometimes they were rabbit tracks; sometimes squirrel; sometimes chipmunk or skunk, occasionally a rat or, of course, a deer.

But, sadly, Gus is gone now and at 94 years old, I am not doing much snow trudging.

I am, however, still going outdoors during these wonderful days of snow. There is snow frosting the tops of stone walls on the Panhandle in West Tisbury. There is snow in the crooks of trees and on rooftops, even though our big snowfall is past. There are great heaps of snow here and there where plows have left them. I hear, with delight, that there will be more snow coming. I have never wanted to live where there was no snow.

I did live, for a time, in Switzerland where, of course, there was snow. I made one feeble attempt there to ski, but I got no farther than the front door of the apartment where I was staying. I had hopefully borrowed skis and was leaving to board a tram to take me to a ski slope. The apartment owner saw me at the door. He sighed and explained that, clearly, I had no idea how skis should be carried — especially on a crowded tram. He showed me, but I never got as far as a slope.

I have also lived in New Hampshire, where snow abounded.

I once borrowed skis to try cross country skiing on the Vineyard after a heavy snowfall, but that was not a success, nor was snow-shoeing in areas where it is a popular sport.

But walking with delight in a Vineyard snowfall is quite a different matter. Here, skis and snowshoes are impediments. I don’t want to bother about what my feet do. I want only to admire the snow that has fallen and remains glistening and bright.

Phyllis Meras lives in West Tisbury.

This article appears in February 13, 2026.