The National Weather Service revised its forecast and warning verbiage during the day yesterday. We'd been under a Winter Storm Warning for the day and they reduced it to an advisory. The night passed at our home with no more than about a half-inch of new snow falling. It got really cold –about 10 degrees– overnight and the wind switched. So now, in the absence of an official Storm, we are getting buried under gobs of lake effect snow courtesy of the cold winds blowing over the open waters of Lake Erie! I made it to work without incident but the drives, streets, and highways were very treacherous — much more hazardous than last night's drive during the Warning hours! I had to come to work for my night shift. [sigh]
Leaving work today I glanced out the window and spied a beautifully-sculpted snowdrift glowing in the early evening sun. It's only a foot or two tall but could be any size, even the stature of a mountain, and be no more beautiful. As I approached the parking lot I glanced through a line of trees directly towards the sun. Long shadows on the snow and a spark of brilliance made me stop and haul out the camera once more. There's a major winter storm due 24 hours from now and this is the beautiful calm before.
Driving to work this morning was both a pain and a pleasure. It was very cold this morning; en route my car's thermometer hit a low of 4 degrees (F) on the east side of Strongsville. At home and in many areas along my route, hoar frost had coated very twig producing an amazing landscape at every turn. It was a beautiful trip but painful to resist the urge to play hooky, wade through the snow, and take photographs everywhere I went. Helping little, I told myself to simply enjoy the passing view and not worry about photographing. Still, I did succumb and pulled into a conveniently located Metroparks parking lot immediately adjacent to an open field lined with flocked trees. The sun was just beginning to illuminate the treeline when I shot the last of my morning's pictures.
Too beautiful a winter's day to stay at home, we headed out to Hudson for lunch at Chipolte and a walk around their quaint downtown area. We picked up a few items, including a couple of nice bottles of wine at Heinen's then headed towards home. On a lark we stopped in Peninsula and visited the Century Cycles store there. As we were wrapping up, the northbound run of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad pulled in and stopped right in front of the trackside store. Remarking, "train!" I excused myself and stepped outside to greet the rumbling giant and shoot a few portraits of its mighty engine, #6777 (formerly Canadian National #6777, ca. 1959).
Don't worry… the train was headed away from me but at a full stop, with air brakes firmly set!
I didn't do much photography today –a little in Hudson, including a snow-covered bistro patio arrangement, Loomis Observatory;, and then the train in Peninsula– but under an intensely blue patch of sky, the Peninsula church steeple was the shot of the day.
Overall the snow we received in Northeastern Ohio wasn't that big a deal; not compared, at least, with what they got in Washington DC or in Brother's Charlottesville, Virginia. Odd situation, this, the weather being sort of topsy-turvy: us getting a manageable eight inches or so of the white stuff and them Southerners getting two to three feet of snowfall.
We dug out and got going at about 9:30 this morning with a run to the nearby mall for 10 o'clock haircuts. The manager couldn't get out of her drive due to snow so didn't open til noon. Then we learned that our cutter wouldn't be in at all due to a blocked driveway. Wimps! So after waiting for two hours for haircuts we didn't get, we set out on a few minor errands. The day actually became sunny for a while and, as the road salt took hold, driving became easier. The scenery was typically wintry –not amazingly beautiful this time– but enjoyable, nonetheless.
Back home I unloaded the car, stashed 40 pounds of bird feed in a vermin-proof can, and shot a few photos around the house. Now, as I type with Tasha ensconced on my lap, She is upstairs working on a red velvet cake — vegan style*. A strange Saturday, perhaps, but a surprisingly pleasant strange day.
*We'll see how that goes but She is getting very good at eggless cooking!
It was a beautiful day. The weather was cold (it's January, after all) but sunny and blue skies have been mighty scarce this winter!
We spent the day running about: to the Cleveland Home & Garden Show followed by a visit to Legacy Village. We had hoped that, in a new venue, the Home & Garden Show would improve but were bitterly disappointed. Not only had the show itself declined in quality but its new venue was shoddy and unwelcoming. The owners of the Great Lakes Expo Center would have done everyone a favor it they'd have hired some of the exhibitors to fix the place up. The converted DIY retail facility needed wallboard, paint, plumbing, and light. The Show? Well let's just say there were no homes, few gardens, and way too many hucksters. We won't be going back any year soon and will likely skip any other show housed at the Center.
High point of the day was lunch at the California Pizza Kitchen restaurant followed by window shopping at other Legacy Village stores. She had the roasted vegetable salad and I enjoyed the simple margherita pizza. From there we strolled to the Joseph Beth bookstore where She sat in a warm, sunny spot and paged through baker Duff Goldman's Ace of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes. I quietly perused the art, science, and bargain books. A most pleasant way to spend a chilly, sunny, Sunday afternoon.
Back home She Who Must Be Obeyed pointed out interesting impressions in the snow next to our sidewalk. A bird or birds, engaged in some sort of struggle, had left body and wing marks in the dry, sand-like dusting. I grabbed the camera and recorded the scene created by birds in a more ephemeral medium.
On an outing this afternoon I stopped by the Metroparks' Mill Stream Run Reservation and explored the frozen landscape. I photographed shadows, animal tracks, snow, and the stream. It was 16 (F) degrees so I did not stay for long. Hands sore from the cold, I made my way back towards my waiting car. As I crossed the small bridge to the parking lot, I stopped to gaze at the frigid water. For just a moment the ice turned golden.
Mom gave She Who Must Be Obeyed a set of flower bulbs for indoor "forcing." This weekend the paperwhites (Narcissus papyraceus, a sub-species of Narcissus tazetta) opened and we have tall, stringy green stems and leaves topped by beautiful small white blooms. The sun peeked through the overcast for the first time in too long so I shot a couple of photos.
Tasha showed some interest earlier in the sprouting plants –leaf- and stem-chewing interest, that is– but was persuaded to leave the greenery alone. All it took was a firm, gruff "nooooo…" or two, no rough stuff, and Tasha sniffed a little cat sniff and plodded away. She looked quite mysterious rim-lit by this morning's sunlight.
Glancing out of an office window, I did a double-take: a lump of snow in an old robin's nest had taken on the appearance of an icy bird in the light of late-day. Feathers hanging off the right-hand rim of the nest aid the visual trick. I shot the picture through the glass to preserve the angle of view necessary for the illusion. I expect "Frosty the Snowbird" to disappear entirely sometime tomorrow — we expect above-freezing temperatures.
It should be recorded that She Who Must Be Obeyed was checked by her cardiologist last Friday and given the go-ahead to go back to work and to drive her car. Of the two, She was happiest about the driving bit; the going back to work was greeted with mixed feelings. She returned to the office Monday (Jan. 11) and is doing quite well.
PhotonStopper 