(no subject)
Feb. 3rd, 2008 09:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
My dad hates Pennsylvania February. He goes to Mexico (has a house there) so that he doesn't have to look at it. He says it's dark all the time, grey and miserable. He feels that there is nothing to see in Pennsylvania in February. In the main, he is correct.
As regular readers are aware, we had ice/sleet on Friday. It melted a bit on Saturday, particularly anywhere it was salted. The air was wet and raw by the end of Saturday so when the temperatures dropped into the twenties last night, hoarfrost froze on top of the things that had been ice-stormed and failed to melt out on Saturday. Mostly, these things were things that hadn't been salted... notably trees. (Incidentally and not-particularly germane to this discussion but of interest to some readers, the road has remained 2wd accessible for the entirety of this process except it'll be dicey for about two hours this morning because of recent events, about which more in a minute.)
It is a clear and sunny morning, here in Pennsylvania February. The high today is supposed to be around forty, with sun, which should make short work of the remaining ice. I drove out the road this morning with my camera, no dummy me, to take pictures for you so that you could see the other February. It was dead quiet, a still morning, and things were kind of gray/blue, that color you get before the sun is well and truly up. (Those of you who have broadband, it's worth it to blow these up for more detail.)

Everything was frozen and perfect and you could see each individual hoarfrost prickle. The world was nearly monochrome, but I found some color for you.

When the sun came up, everything glittered like jewels.


Of course, it'll only last an hour or two. As soon as the sun hit the ice this morning, the tree trunks turned dark and wet from the water running down them. The silent, perfect morning shattered as the whole world started to drip and creak and come apart. This February, it doesn't stay around long. That's why I took pictures.
While stuff is melting out, the road will be a bit tricky for the period that it will consist of ice-with-water-on-it, but it should be completely melted by the end of today, so no worries.
As regular readers are aware, we had ice/sleet on Friday. It melted a bit on Saturday, particularly anywhere it was salted. The air was wet and raw by the end of Saturday so when the temperatures dropped into the twenties last night, hoarfrost froze on top of the things that had been ice-stormed and failed to melt out on Saturday. Mostly, these things were things that hadn't been salted... notably trees. (Incidentally and not-particularly germane to this discussion but of interest to some readers, the road has remained 2wd accessible for the entirety of this process except it'll be dicey for about two hours this morning because of recent events, about which more in a minute.)
It is a clear and sunny morning, here in Pennsylvania February. The high today is supposed to be around forty, with sun, which should make short work of the remaining ice. I drove out the road this morning with my camera, no dummy me, to take pictures for you so that you could see the other February. It was dead quiet, a still morning, and things were kind of gray/blue, that color you get before the sun is well and truly up. (Those of you who have broadband, it's worth it to blow these up for more detail.)

Everything was frozen and perfect and you could see each individual hoarfrost prickle. The world was nearly monochrome, but I found some color for you.

When the sun came up, everything glittered like jewels.


Of course, it'll only last an hour or two. As soon as the sun hit the ice this morning, the tree trunks turned dark and wet from the water running down them. The silent, perfect morning shattered as the whole world started to drip and creak and come apart. This February, it doesn't stay around long. That's why I took pictures.
While stuff is melting out, the road will be a bit tricky for the period that it will consist of ice-with-water-on-it, but it should be completely melted by the end of today, so no worries.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-03 04:45 pm (UTC)The sound of the ice cracking and falling is sort of bittersweet to me--because I'm sad to see the beauty disappear, but it's a super neat noise. :D
no subject
Date: 2008-02-03 05:53 pm (UTC)You can read more about R. multiflora at wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiflora_Rose) or you can google it for assorted "invasive species" web pages on the subject.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-03 05:23 pm (UTC)Beautiful pictures, beautiful Pennsylvania.
My grandmother said Pennsylvania was God's Country.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-03 05:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-04 04:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-04 12:50 am (UTC)