Traffic gridlocked on Hammond Drive in Sandy Springs and Dunwoody during the Jan. 28 snowstorm. Photo by Joe Earle
Traffic gridlocked on Hammond Drive in Sandy Springs and Dunwoody during the Jan. 28 snowstorm.
Photo by Joe Earle
A car caught fire at the Brookhaven MARTA station after the storm. Photo by Deborah Davis
A car caught fire at the Brookhaven MARTA station after the storm.
Photo by Deborah Davis

Sandy Springs and Dunwoody residents trade stories of how many hours it took to get home Jan. 28. But once they got off gridlocked highways and to their homes, some of them found a way to turn a bit of snow into a play day.

Here are a few scenes from Reporter Newpapers communities on Jan. 29.

Ella Ryan. 7. and Kate Rosen, 10, of Dunwoody enjoy the wintry weather during a snow day off from school Jan. 29. Photo by Robin Isaf
Ella Ryan. 7. and Kate Rosen, 10, of Dunwoody enjoy the wintry weather during a snow day off from school Jan. 29.
Photo by Robin Isaf
St. Pius students Joey Carbonara of Roswell and Chandler Parks of Sandy Springs walked up Spalding Drive on Jan. 29 to catch a ride home after spending the night with a friend. "“We were getting picked up by our friend’'s mom yesterday after school because we got let out early. We came home on Spalding and she didn’t want to drive us all the way back up this hill because she was afraid her car wouldn’t make it, so we just stopped at their house and spent the night there,"” said Carbonara. “"We'’ve been inside the whole time, sitting around, playing video games." "“We went outside yesterday and the whole road was ice and we just went around and ran on it. It was fun,”" said Parks. “"We'’re meeting my dad up the hill." Photo by Elizabeth Wilkes
St. Pius students Joey Carbonara of Roswell and Chandler Parks of Sandy Springs walked up Spalding Drive on Jan. 29 to catch a ride home after spending the night with a friend.
““We were getting picked up by our friend’’s mom yesterday after school because we got let out early. We came home on Spalding and she didn’t want to drive us all the way back up this hill because she was afraid her car wouldn’t make it, so we just stopped at their house and spent the night there,”” said Carbonara.
“”We’’ve been inside the whole time, sitting around, playing video games.”
““We went outside yesterday and the whole road was ice and we just went around and ran on it. It was fun,”” said Parks.
“”We’’re meeting my dad up the hill.”
Photo by Elizabeth Wilkes
The extent of the snow and ice clogging traffic on Hammond Drive was visible from the Dunwoody MARTA station on Jan. 28. Photo by Melissa Weinman
The extent of the snow and ice clogging traffic on Hammond Drive was visible from the Dunwoody MARTA station on Jan. 28.
Photo by Melissa Weinman
From left to right, Malena Shipley, 9, Fernando Reyes, 6, and Jesus Reyes, 4, employed the tops fo recycling bins to take advantage of the ice and snow for downhill rides on Jan. 29. Photo by J.D. Moor
From left to right, Malena Shipley, 9, Fernando Reyes, 6, and Jesus Reyes, 4, employed the tops of recycling bins to take advantage of the ice and snow for downhill rides on Jan. 29.
Photo by J.D. Moor

Joe Earle is a former Editor-at-Large for Rough Draft. He has more than 30-years of experience at newspapers, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and was Managing Editor of Reporter Newspapers.