Blizzard !!!

INCOMING

When the cold wind comes from the north across Lake Ontario, we get lots of snow in Rochester, NY.

Did you ever wonder what the birds do when the snow is blowing in like it will never stop?

They come to our feeders, of course.

Mr. Cardinal always brightens a snowy day.

Mrs. Cardinal respects the decision of the Mourning Dove
to perch on the leeward side.

Needs a shave.

"Our turn out of the wind."

The male is more striking, but the subtle varied colors of the female
are exceptionally beautiful.

And you thought woodpeckers only ate bugs.

This Cooper's Hawk is also happy we feed the birds.

The guy across the street halfway through a brazen display of youth.

Lots of work to dig out, but undeniably pretty.

The Mourning Dove finds a windless perch amid the beauty.

Time to go to bed and let it blow itself out.

AFTERMATH

The next day

Mrs. Cardinal doesn't mind that the wind blew the lit off the feeder.
Could be time to think about a little maintenance.

The impressive showing of muscle and determination across the street
is making me look bad.

Lots of junk that hasn't moved itself to the recycling bin.
No, not the snowblower, although most would say it is a valid candidate.
I had to bring it in so it would unfreeze itself.

What's wrong in this picture?
We heard a "BANG!" in the middle of the night, but I found nothing after searching the house.
Duct tape didn't work.
The guy who came to replace it said that they're only rated for 15000 trips.

After digging out.
Yeah, I should have used the roof rake to take down the drift first,
But it looks so great up there.
That's our Christmas Tree on the left...not quite at the curb yet.

FUN

It's a sin to let the beautiful snow go to waste.

You know who hates the winter?  It's everyone who curses the snow for the extra work and laments the cold while their sweaters languish in their drawers.  They are deaf to the call of their skis.  And they don't remember the childish joy that only a snow day can bring.

Sculpted drifts in the grove of pines.

The sun lighting up the ice at a bend in the creek.

Knee deep snow made for a good workout while breaking trail.

This day, no worries about potential mishaps at the narrow bridge.
The snow was too deep to pick up any speed down the hill.

I think that I will never see,
a blog as lovely as a snow-clad tree.

The sun lights up the banks of the creek meandering into the distance.

The sun lightens the load on the cedars.
This time, the falling snow missed me.

Awaiting my next pass underneath.

Creekside crack in the snow.

Ya gotta embrace it.  Ya gotta get out into it.  Ya gotta love the winter and enjoy all that it brings, including the shoveling, and the slippery conditions and the cold.

Until March.  Then it's time to go here:

Three Days in December

In Rochester, New York, the saying is, "If you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes."

That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it is not far off.  Here is a quick trip through 3 consecutive days.

SNOW

The house, blanketed.

A fine setting as Christmas approached.
No need to dream.

As the sun began to set, the gray snow became orange.

The deer passed by earlier, in a hurry from the look of the tracks.

Long shadows on the snowy rolling contour.

Distant clouds illuminated by the unseen setting sun.

FOG

An unusually warm day melted the snow, giving rise to a static fog.

Which path would you follow?

The faraway trees fade to gray.
The fog deadens not only the light, but sound as well.
The eerie quiet can be unnerving to those who rely on audio.

So Mr. Newton, can you pick the perpetrator out of this lineup?

Little guy looks lonely.

ICE

Inverted temperature layers provide rain that falls into below-freezing air.

This instance was a thin and beautiful coating, with no wind to shatter the overweight branches.

Welcome to Crystal City.

A layer of ice coats everything.

Droplets freeze in place.

Each twig has a personal shroud.

The berries of the Burning Bush are not immune.

Redness refracted.

The Dwarf Japanese Maple's cacophony of branches highlighted.

Is the Burning Bush speaking?

I'm guessing the birds will wait for the thaw before munching.

A frozen bug?

Providing an impression of stopped time...

...the ice has captured not only the branches, but also the light.

Everything line is augmented, accented, sharpened.

Everything.