Misty morning prettiness

It had rained last Wednesday night, and Thursday morning it was rather foggy, yet the sun was trying to make its way through. I thought it made for some pretty pictures.  

Everything sparkled in the sun, and I tried to capture the sparkles. Here are my results.

So white

It was an awfully white world yesterday morning. It was very foggy, and the trees were covered in hoar frost once again, so along with the 4 inches of new snow we got Thursday night, everything was white, white, and more white.

I didn't realize there could be so many different types of frost formations. These new ones were kind of globby... like popcorn with teeny spikes.

These were a little harder to photograph, probably mostly because of the lighting. Too much fog still in the air.

The fog hung around all day long. It did leave for a while last night, as I couldn't see any when I went to bed, but it was back again this morning when I got up. When I went out to feed the cats, I noticed the frost looked a bit different again. I considered going back for the camera, but decided I have better things to do with my time today. Use your imagination: onto slightly enlarged popcorn globs, lengthen the teeny spikes a wee bit, blunt their ends, and then give them some itsy-bitsy popcorn globs of their own, keeping the whole spike to about a quarter-inch long. Now you know what they look like. ;)

I've had enough white now. Blue sky is so much better!

It's beginning to look a lot like.....

Poor Rainbow doesn't look happy.

The juncos are having a little harder time finding food.

It's somewhat foggy, too... can't see the neighbor's place at all.

"There's no good place for my feet!"

That was this morning. It sounds like there's more on the way tonight. And wind. And below zero tomorrow night. Yep, winter's arrived, folks. Enjoy?

Foggy sunrise

Yesterday morning:

Almost a little spooky, huh?

Another guest post... sorta

These photos were sent to me by my friend Mark, the displaced Minnesotan who now lives in Fresno, CA. He REALLY misses snow and cold. So a couple weeks ago he sent me these pics that he took out there, I guess so I can feel bad that I live here and not there. ;-) No, really he was explaining what his 47-mile drive was like heading home from up the mountain:

"Fresno is and was cloudy and overcast with the temperature in the low 40’s, but just up the mountain at 4,000 ft. and above it is clear, sunny and warm. The temperature at 5,000 ft. yesterday was 55 degrees and snow was melting. This weather phenomenon is call an “inversion layer” where the cold air gets trapped in the valley by the cloud layer and the high pressure system holds the cold air down. So the clouds never burn off and we are cold and damp and the mountains are sunny, warm and full of snow."

This was his view from the highway:

Looks like a frothy ocean, doesn't it?

What an incredible view!

As he drove down, you can see that it was really a cloud layer, or fog.

Look how he's driving right down into it:

And we know what it's like to drive in fog:

(Click any photo to enlarge.)

Awesome photos, huh? Thanks, Mark! Somehow, I'm not convinced to move out there, though, despite the view and the warmer temps. I'm not a lover of fog. I'll stay here and continue to complain about the snow and cold. ;-)

Fog, fog, and more fog

The fog rolled in this morning and seemed to get thicker as the day went on. I think the sky was clear above it, but we didn't see it.

These pics were taken at sunrise. The circle of the sun doesn't show up as distinctly as it did in reality, though. It was quite neat.

(Click to enlarge.)

(JHRME, I'm just trying to help you adjust to the early hours! ;-) )

It's a white world today

Fortunately it's just fog and frost... not new snow! Not much contrast in these dreary photos. *yawn*

I added this last photo later this evening. I'd been outside and noticed that as the frost was falling off, it left a sort of "popcorny" appearance.