Tappan Square Path, Oberlin Ohio, in Light Snow
Nov 30th, 2002, by Alex Zorach
This photo shows Tappan square in Oberlin, Ohio, the central town square. This photo was taken from the North side of the square, looking south, as evidenced by the orientation of the pavilion on the left of the photo. Tappan square is the main town square in Oberlin, Ohio, and is absolutely immense by east coast standards, and still relatively large for a small midwestern town.
There is a light dusting of snow in this photo, which can be seen in how the blades of grass in the square are sticking up through the snow, and the brick path only shows a bit of snow. A few footprints show that this path has been moderately, but not heavily travelled since the snow fell...and there is one track from a bicycle tire as well. No people aer in sight.
The photo was taken around dusk, when it was dark enough for the street lights to come on, but light enough that the sun was still the primary source of illumination.
Taken at the end of November, this photo shows most of the trees completely bare, but a Northern Red Oak on the right side of the path still holds onto many of its leaves, and another tree (I think a different type of oak) holds onto more, towards the left.
This photo captures the serenity that I found in Oberlin, Ohio. It was a cozy, intimate atmosphere that I loved...quiet, spacious, and yet culturally vibrant. I found that the space and the damp climate made it comforting to be indoors and made me grateful and appreciative to be around people.