Ice in the air

A couple of days ago, I went in search of nearby winter weather. I found ice. Everywhere.

Every blade, every twig, encased in ice.

Spruce needles bulk up with ice.

There was ice in the fog, and on everything I could see.

Branches are pretty cool, but these branches take that to a new level.

If any surface was exposed, it had ice on it or ice hanging from it.

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Ice Progress

Some of the ice that I was able to break up in the driveway today.

 

Snowy Scene

I can’t find my driveway, but this place looks great!

Our backyard rink in the midst of all the snow

The temperature has dropped below zero degrees Fahrenheit here this evening, and it will plummet some more before the sun rises tomorrow morning. After several hours spent with wrenches, a crowbar, a hammer, and a ratchet set this afternoon, I got the impeller blade in my snow blower bent back into shape, along with the casing. I was able to rig the cleats on the outside of the casing so they work again, sort of, and I was able to get to work on the rink. My son and I did all of the finish work with shovels and threw the snow up on the banks. In the last 7 days we have received 42″ of snow in the yard, but having a place to skate is quite important here. I love this place.

From the ice looking back to the house

 

 

I love winter

Fire and Ice

Landscape

Photography 101.

I took this picture with my phone yesterday. This is water in a couple of different forms, on top of a body of water. Glen Lake, Goffstown, NH.

Glen Lake. Goffstown, NH

Black Brook in Winter

The temperature was 21 degrees Fahrenheit. With the 10-20 MPH winds, the wind chill made the temperature feel like 4 degrees Fahrenheit. The snow was almost up to my knees, and even higher when I broke through the various levels of crust and ice beneath the fresh powder. Thankfully the sun was shining but the forest canopy filtered most of the rays from reaching the snow on the ground. Regardless, I wanted to walk along Black Brook in Winter. Walking in an around the many hemlock trees there was much less snow, but there was a lot more ice under the snow.  There were bowl-shaped areas among the trees as most of these trees are where the deer bed down in numbers.

Mostly I just wanted to see the water flowing beneath, around, and sometimes over the ice. I wanted to listen to nothing but the sounds of the wind and the water. And that was all I heard, other than any noise I created, which I tried to minimize. I ventured as close to the edge as I dared and sometimes that took me out onto an ice shelf that was a foot thick and only attached to a larger patch of ice that resulted from water that had gathered and frozen in the bowls that deer had created near the water’s edge. Walking was quite difficult in some areas, but that was expected. The silence was fantastic and the views were wonderful. I brought my camera on purpose and hoped to catch some of the beauty of this little stretch of land along our property.

Forecasters are calling for 6-8 inches of new snow tomorrow and these pictures will be completely redefined, just 24 hours from now. Maybe I will venture down the wooded hill to the water’s edge again, and see just how much change took place. For now, enjoy, as I did.