When I looked out the windows this morning, it didn’t look like the last day of winter, but more like the first day of winter. Old man winter is not letting go this year – not with five new inches of snow.
End of Winter?
Picture of the Day for March 18, 2014
After shoveling snow this morning and more snow predicted for tonight, it is time for the snow to stop since spring starts on Thursday or at least astronomical spring starts. Meteorological spring supposedly started on March 1 and even the rodent said spring should be here by now but I’m not seeing any sign of spring yet so I’m declaring an emergency!
Winter Emergency
Picture of the Day for March 15, 2014
I imagine there will be a large number of visitors at the Lake Superior ice caves this weekend since it is the last weekend they will be open this year as the ice is thinning and the ice formations are beginning to fall. Soon these big ice chunks will melt and will become part of Lake Superior waves that will etch out more sea caves.
Icy Falls
Picture of the Day for March 14, 2014
The snow is shrinking down and melting a little with the recent few days above freezing but the landscape is still mostly white. And while some rivers and streams may continue to flow all winter, some are flowing under a layer of ice and you may only hear the small waterfalls until they poke out in the spring again.
Icy River
Picture of the Day for March 13, 2014
All good things must come to an end. The Lake Superior ice caves will close after Sunday or sooner if the ice condition deteriorate rapidly this week. Nature provided a spectacular show this cold winter and it may not return in the upcoming years since it was five years since the last time the ice was stable to walk on to see. But while the ice caves will return to sea caves as the ice melts, nature will create another glorious show as wildflowers will add color to the landscape once all the snow is melted.
The End of Nature’s Ice Show
Picture of the Day for March 12, 2014
After several days finally above freezing, winter seems determined to hang on as it will stay below freezing today. Even though spring is approaching, winter is gripping on tight.
Winter Hanging On
Picture of the Day for March 11, 2014
Since the weatherman mentioned snow and sleet in the forecast for today, that made me a little blue and so I thought I would post more of the blue ice. I wondered why the ice in that area was more compact than the surrounding area to make it look blue. Maybe it heard spring will arrive some day and it would disappear and be forgotten and the ice was sad too.
Blue Ice
Picture of the Day for March 10, 2014
Besides the ice caves on the shore of Lake Superior, there were frozen water falls to view which might just be a little a wet trickle in the summer but it creates a large frozen falls in the winter.
The ice also appears different colors, like the yellow or pink, which picks up sand grains from the sandstone. And then in certain spots you can find blue ice, which is caused by how light is absorbed in the snow and ice and the difference in wavelength from the red spectrum to the blue. Water and ice behaves like a blue filter, which absorbs the reds and orange, and why deeper water appears blue.
Snow is composed of a bunch of ice grains with air in between them and almost all of the visible light striking the snow is reflected back and appears white. But in ice, there is less air and so fewer opportunities for light to scatter back out and light travels farther into the ice and gives the ice more time to absorb the red light so when the light returns to the surface, it is lacking red light, making it appear blue.
Colorful Ice
Picture of the Day for March 9, 2014
I will admit that I am prejudiced. And since it is the Lenten season and one is supposed to change bad habits. But I don’t think I will get over my prejudice too easily. I have seen this church in the summer and the church shines whiter next to green grass compared to the white snow and after this long winter, my prejudice against snow might not be easy to overcome.
The cold winter did bring a large crowd to this small village of Cornucopia on the south shore of Lake Superior as visitors flocked to view the ice caves so some may have seen this church, established in 1909, with an enclosed bell tower and a small onion dome. The founders of St. Mary Orthodox Church were Eastern European immigrants who settled in Northern Wisconsin because of the good farming conditions and employment in the logging industry.
And for all those who have been praying for more snow, stop it! It is time to let spring to come!
St. Mary Orthodox Church
Picture of the Day for March 8, 2014
Heck, if I could find the grass, I just might be tempted to park on it or at least park my butt on some nice green grass but no chance of that happening for a while.
Missing Grass
