February 7, 2010 [LINK / comment]

#%@&* winter wonderland pix

After all the freezing temperatures and heavy snowfalls we have had over the past two months, the phrase "winter wonderland" acquires a rather sinister meaning, almost eliciting a profane response. Gr-r-r-r-r!! Thankfully, the sun came out today, helping to melt some of the snow and creating great photo opportunities. Between snow-shoveling shifts today, I took some time out to capture the moment on film digital memory, and just created a new photo gallery page: January-February 2010. Enjoy!

Snow at Belmont Terrace

A think blanket of snow covers the trees and bushes at Belmont Terrace, in Staunton. The tracks suggest that some animal has a den in that ditch. (Click on the image to see the full-size version.)

Those who are interested in the "fractal beauty of nature" (as in Chaos theory) should take a look at the closeup photo I took of a bunch of camera snow crystals this morning. (I posted that photo on Facebook, as well as the News Leader Web site, but the latter is reduced in size and you can't really see the intricate detailed patterns.) Evidently the high humidity combined with the very low temperatures to create ideal conditions for crystal formation.