Or sitting in huge, immobile 1.5-metre- high windrows, piled by graders on the side of the road, or more likely on the sidewalk so the traffic has room to navigate on slippery streets.
There's a sidewalk under this mess. And there's a curb cut under the windrow; the truck's stopped just on the edge of the crosswalk. May the gods have mercy on anyone who has to go anywhere in a wheelchair, but without the aid of a car. Or even get to a car with a wheelchair or cane...
Snow, falling so hard that visibility is under 500 metres, and the 50 km/hr wind is whipping it into drifts across doorways that you have to shovel almost constantly to be able to exit the building for little things like work and groceries...
Snow. 80 cm deep drifts in the park, inviting snowshoers and cross-country skiers, trudging or gliding happily through winter's early dusk.
Or sitting in half-metre deep drifts on people's front lawns, if they haven't piled it up to head height as they cleared their driveways.
This sidewalk was cleared recently. The snow, cut very neatly by a snowthrower, is about 50 cm deep.
Snow can make it awkward to sit at bus stops.
It can look picturesque, even in the biting cold, when it's blanketing pillars in attractive layers. The snow on this lamp has melted just a little, but the layers are visible, I think. I hope.
Of course, snow exists best when it's cold. And it was cold trying to take these photos with a digital camera 9 hours ago. The camera batteries got so cold I had to change them for a pair I had in an inside pocket. And my hand got so cold I couldn't feel the end of the thumb, since the camera had to come out of the mitt to be useful.
Regina was the coldest spot on earth about a week ago; our temperature was -42C, with the breeze causing a wind chill of -52. It then proceeded to warm up, until 41 hours later, it was -0.8C.
It has gotten colder again, and the wind chill is in the -35 range again. Sound carries differently in the cold, and water freezes quite quickly. I'll have to try throwing a cup of boiling water into the air, and see if it causes a cloud. If I can do that on the weekend, I'll try to post a video of it.
I looked into Kate J's blog a couple of days ago, and was inspired to get my camera in gear again. Thanks Kate! And since I also have one of those ever-so-cool t-shirts she's showing off, I should get a photo of that too.
Meanwhile, I have to negotiate that sidewalk tomorrow to get to work. Thank goodness all that snow is being cleared away as I write, with the assistance of semi-trailer dump trucks and snowthrowers mounted on front-end loaders. Of course, the graders moving the snow to the center of the streets will leave a smooth, slippery path for me. There's a reason I use cross-country or trekking poles to walk here: it's 4 wheel drive for feet!
6 comments:
Thanks for the name-check! We should all get photos of ourselves wearing the t-shirts and someone could print it off and send it to Beth! Or we could all agree to post them on our blogs the same day, or something...
You do seem to have a fair amount of snow there! We very rarely get any here (Wales) except on the mountains, in fact more than a couple of centimetres and they close the schools!
I did once come to Canada in winter (Easter, actually!) but there was plenty of snow in the Okanagan and up into the mountains - we were headed from Vancouver (mild, raining) for my cousin's place at Vernon and got caught in a blizzard on (I think) the Coquihalla. I was travelling with another cousin who lives on Vancouver Island and isn't much used to snow. We had to stop and buy chains for the tyres, and were fine after that. Ended up at Silver Star ski resort where I tried skiing (for the first and last time!) and went ice-tubing and ski-dooing... much more fun.
I'll keep an eye on your blog... hope to see a photo of the t-shirt!
The snow looks beautiful - thank you for freezing your ass off for our viewing pleasure (haha). Yes, you can see the layers in the last photo very well :).
I have used a wheelchair all my life and when I was at school I would pray for lots of snow so that the bus wouldn't be able to get to my (rural) home and I could have a few days off! haha.
I used to have a little plastic sledge and a mad springer spaniel called Robbie who loved nothing better than being hooked up to the sledge so he could run across the fields will me bumping along and laughing behind him. Only thing was other dogs would run up to me and give me kisses and because I was wrapped up so snugly there was nothing I could do but sit there and take it! haha.
Kate: Yes, we can get lots of snow. In recent years, though, we've had much less than usual. One Christmas Day, my brother was called outside by his neighbour to take a photo of the neighbour mowing his lawn.
Easter, my dear, is in Spring. Spring is when we rejoice, and get ready for spring blizzards. It has never snowed in Regina in, I believe, July. It has snowed in every other month of the year.
Gaina: I can picture a small child getting slobbered on while all bundled up. Snow suits are great for that sort of immobility: bondage for children, anyone?
My ass was fine, thanks, and I have a balaclava to keep my nose from freezing. And this year, two layers of mitts to keep the hands semi-warm. But my right hand got cold popping the mitt on and off to expose the camera. You're welcome, though. :)
I think the next photo project should be our refugee cat, who is ours only when it's VERY cold outside. Otherwise, he prefers to prowl and get scars on his little hide all night.
Hugs!
Ontario generally never gets as cold as western canada but we do get our share of snow. Check out this video I made around Christmas in Parry Sound, two hours north of me .. and since then they have had at least another three feet of snow. A little way in you'll see Collette and Miss Hayley on the street, check out the snowbanks
http://vimeo.com/2641718
I'm shocked that the city didn't set up grassy space between the sidewalk and road, that's where all our snow gets piled.
You have so little snow though! I guess it's been too cold to snow. I'm in Ontario and before our recent warm temperatures the snow banks between the road and sidewalk were taller than I am.
Just looking at the pictures made me cold. And I've lived in Sault Ste. Marie!
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