Let there be light

It took a few days to adjust from the drama of being snowed in to being in a temperate, dry and sunny climate where traffic moved freely and being outdoors was no big deal.

After several nice family Christmas celebrations my friend Rita and I drove over to San Francisco's Ocean Beach -- which used to be my back yard.

I can take almost as many pictures of sun-splashed waves as I can of mounting snow!


I do not have Photoshop on my laptop and am therefore unable to tweak these photos as is my wont. The brilliance of sun-0n-water makes the white balance difficult.


Being in my old neighborhoods and seeing old friends tugged at the heartstrings.

Out by the skin of my teeth!

December 22 ~

At 5AM I crunched my way through 8" of snow to my shuttle. We crawled at 25 mph to the airport in the predawn hours. Not surprisingly (despite an earlier confirming email) my flight was canceled. A four-hour wait in a serpentine line earned me a seat on a new flight some 8 hours later in the day. Yippee!!

It was cozy in the airport lobby. I gazed out at rows of boarding platforms without planes.


It was a tinker-toy wonderland with snowplows churning industriously to and fro. I couldn't help but be reminded of the toys my nephew once played with.


Finally at 4:05 PM we gratefully and incredulously boarded.


I couldn't believe it was really happening until I was airborne. This is a shot of a very snowy PDX. Free wine and beer were served on board. It all felt like a small miracle.

Ice on things

Last night it was eerily bright all night long. My sister surmises that the city lights were reflected in the cloud cover --- which was reflected in the snow layer. Who knows? To my surprise, the paper was still delivered this morning. It took me a while to understand the strange gait of the delivery person. He was crunching through 5 - 8 inches of ice-crusted snow.

Here are my boot-prints.


Anything and everything was coated in a thing sheath of ice. The bare branches of the Japanese maple provided a perfect foil.


It's hard to take pictures when everything is white. But here's on pine tree frond.


It's fun to greet the neighborhood kids on my walks. I couldn't go far this morning, but it's hard to keep the Russians indoors during this weather. It's been a great opportunity to connect.

For comparison's sake, here are the standbys:




Here's hoping the shuttle shows up today and the my flight's not delayed. This may be my last post before Christmas (if not 2009). Have a good one.

Snow on Stuff

We're having a "once every two or three years" snowfall. It's been snowing all day long! I'd be enjoying this so much more if I didn't have to get to the airport at dawn (pre-dawn this time of year) on Monday. Freezing rain is predicted for tomorrow.

But today we are blanketed in 3 - 4 inches of "powder" (and it's still coming down thick). It is lovely stuff. Here are some of the usual suspects in my yard.






All the above were taken this morning. There's even more snow now. My hydrangea's have been transformed into giant snowcones.


I came across a neighbor's mailbox on my morning walk.


Even the lowly fire hydrant took on extra charm.


A neighbor's car.


I had to drive to the pet store to board my bird (Sophie). At my house the snow nearly topped the sidewalks.


This scene is from Andresen - a major boulevard. I was grateful for everyone's caution. We were crawling at 20 miles per hour.

Lines of Winter

I know Washington is the "evergreen state" -- but not exclusively so. The deciduous trees create fabulous line-scapes against the winter skies.

Snow laden branches create reverse outlines with white being dominant.


As I drive through town, I have my favorite trees to look forward to. On this quiet snowy day, I had the street to myself and was able to get this shot of a tree near my sister's.


From late spring through fall these trees are fluffy masses that block out the sky. In winter they become a lacy screens that let the sky come through.

More white stuff

The thing about snowfall is that it's so quiet. I awoke this morning to find it had been snowing through the night. We had less than an inch on the ground, but it was making more of an impression than Sunday's snowfall.



It was warmer (above 30) and very pleasant. It was coming down pretty thick when I went for a walk through the neighborhood.


I'll never get used to this! Snow has always been something I "went to" --- like a day trip in the mountains to ski. It's just not something I think of as being at my home.

There's plenty of food out there for the critters.


My Russian neighbors used a shovel to gather up snow from the street and sidewalks to make a snowman.


The sun came out during the day and there was a lot of melting, but the snowman (woman?) persevered.

A Winter's Walk

Dressed in 3 layers from head to toe and equipped with sunglasses and visor, I head out for a walk along Salmon Creek.

I was surprised to discover that the surface of the creek was frozen.


All along the way I was serenaded with the constant chirping and rustling made by sparrows. Most flitted away as soon as I got my camera out, but this critter was quite intent.


I am fascinated by just how much color is produced by bare branches of shrubs and trees.


This wooded trail seemed quite appealing.


These hardy maple leaves make a nice contrast to the blue sky.


I have posted pictures of the creek water and ice formations in the following entry.

Water and Ice

Walking along Salmon Creek at 27 degrees brought some surprises. This twig somehow accumulated crystalline drops fit for any chandelier.


This shadowed under-ledge produced large frozen globes of ice.


Even the shallowest puddles were transformed. I am amazed at all the gaseous bubbles congealed in this image.


Each blade of grass is a small miracle.

Get out your sunglasses!

OK, a great many of us are experiencing this arctic blast. I turn off my heat pump at night and the indoor temp this morning was 47 -- even after beefing up my insulation.

My window thermometer read 12 when I got up and 15 when I took this picture at 8AM


My birdbath is solid ice!


But it's brilliantly sunny!! When that wind comes out of the Columbia gorge it is biting cold. All you need is a hot flash and it's quite refreshing.

Marvelous Critters

You gotta admire these little fellows. It's 17 degrees outside and these little birds would make you think they couldn't be happier.

I took the picture through the window from the comfort and warmth of my kitchen.


Half a dozen or so Black-capped Chickadees were busy flitting from place to place with seeming great merriment. I noticed them yesterday feeding underneath shrubs. Maybe they're hyper-active to keep warm.

We've got cloudless skies, icy roads and very low temps. I had to cancel my vet appointment for my Senegal parrot, Sophie.

We got snow!!

Okay, this may be small potatoes for someone who gets real snow ... but here in the Willamett Valley (e.i. Portland/Vancouver) ... this is big news. Not to mention, I grew up in Woodland Hills on the outskirts of LA. I think it snowed once during the 20 years I lived there.

Hydrangea's line my entryway. Each leaf is a cup of snow.


The last remaining blooms caught some flakes as well.


My ever serene Buddha has a light patina of snow.


It's continued to snow all day, but it's never going to be enough for snowballs.


This video shows the snow falling in my front yard:


This video shows the snow flurry in my neighborhood:


I went out for a walk and got caught in a heavy snow flurry. While is was coming at my back I was all right. I had to adjust my hat and scarf when walking into it. As a friend remarked, "there isn't cold weather -- just poor clothing". It's been around 28 degrees all day. I had good clothing.

This is a scene from my walk. The dogs thought this was grand!

A Walk Along the River

It was a beautiful morning for a walk along the mighty Columbia. Rosie the Riveter was the first to greet me.


Next was a gaggle of geese parked in the path. (Egad! That's a lot of geese poop.)


Fortunately, I was headed in the other direction. The path was bordered with beautiful, moss-covered stone and iron rails.


The winter light was pale and these trees were among the few to still be losing their leaves.


That's most likely an Osprey nest on the pilings.


It cannot be said that the I5 bridge is a thing of beauty!


It wasn't until I was driving home that Mt. Hood glowed in the distance. It's hard to portray the drama of this image on the horizon.