Some shots of the latest blizzard results. These things happen so often up here, they don't even make the news. Another 2 feet last night! I'm ready to shed this mortal coil and head someplace a lot warmer! 5 hours of steady snow removal yesterday, and I get to look forward to it again tomorrow! Well, actually, I have some to do today as the wind hasn't stopped and is slowly filling the driveway again. The house you see with the snow almost to the roof is my next door neighbor...
As an aside, the roofs look bare due to the high winds dumping all the snow in my driveway.
The tire tracks in the driveway are from windblown snow "after" getting it cleared and having to run for gas...
My poor neighbors;
(http://en.zimagez.com/miniature/neighborsfrontyard03142014.jpg) (http://en.zimagez.com/zimage/neighborsfrontyard03142014.php)
My front yard;
(http://en.zimagez.com/miniature/frontyard03142014.jpg) (http://en.zimagez.com/zimage/frontyard03142014.php)
View from the side door looking West down my driveway;
(http://en.zimagez.com/miniature/lookingdowndriveway.jpg) (http://en.zimagez.com/zimage/lookingdowndriveway.php)
View looking North from the end of my driveway;
(http://en.zimagez.com/miniature/lookingnorthdriveway.jpg) (http://en.zimagez.com/zimage/lookingnorthdriveway.php)
Again, looking west down the driveway at my snowbound Jeep;
(http://en.zimagez.com/miniature/myjeep03142014.jpg) (http://en.zimagez.com/zimage/myjeep03142014.php)
Taken the night before during the storm;
(http://en.zimagez.com/miniature/myjeepstorm03142014.jpg) (http://en.zimagez.com/zimage/myjeepstorm03142014.php)
That is a ridiculous amount of snow!! And to think...I'm trying to move up north :-\
Jedsdesk..... There has been one day this winter where I couldnt wear shorts and flip flops.
(http://en.zimagez.com/miniature/weather.png) (http://en.zimagez.com/zimage/weather.php)
Quote from: lwfitz on March 14, 2014, 11:34:23 PM
Jedsdesk..... There has been one day this winter where I couldnt wear shorts and flip flops.
Oh, no one up here wears clothes. What gave you that idea? This whole part of the state is a nudist colony...
Ahahahahahaha!
I'm sitting in the drive thru getting dinner and they think I'm crazy, that's hilarious!
I swear it's just cuz it's cold outside.....
jedi..that is insane. I live about 40 miles north of NYC and I thought we were having a rough winter.
Reminds me a bit of when I went to college in upstate New York and we got the crazy lake effect snowstorms.
I really acquired some winter driving skills during those years ;)
I can't imagine what it's like to live in that sort of cold.
I've only see snow twice in my life so far! Both overseas..
It might get to -7C in the middle of winter when the wind is from the south.
I like your pic though! One day I must try a White Christmas!
;)
Not sure what it would translate to in Celsius, but we've had a few -40F (wind chill) and one night the wind chill hit -49F... Regular temp I believe was something like -27F, though I tend to remember the wind chill temps as they seem so extreme most of the time!
Right now we're on a 3 day snow-fall. Over 140 inches of the white stuff so far this winter. At least 8" of that came today, the first day of Spring, and calling for more tomorrow! Happy Happy, Joy Joy...
@ jedi -
-7C is around 20F.
They issuing some flood warnings for your area?
Flood warnings would mean liquid in some form! Everything here is frozen solid till probably the middle of April. However when the thaw happens, if it happens quick, it will be disastrous. Fort Fairfield lost it's main bridge a couple of years ago when the ice broke up. There were chunks of ice floating down the Aroostook River that were the size of small homes. The noise was incredible. Up here they call Spring the "Mud Season" for good reason!
Do you get the northern lights that far up north?
Quote from: ozitraveller on March 30, 2014, 11:01:12 PM
Do you get the northern lights that far up north?
Indeed we do! Sometimes they are so spectacular, it is like looking at an alien sky...
That would awesome to see! Have you any photos?
Curious: since it's so cold up there, do you guys do the Scandinavian sauna thingy? A sauna and a quick plunge naked into the snow? :o
The sauna thing is very popular in Minnesota and other states around the the Great Lakes where there is a large population of Scandinavian decent. Common to see the Northern Lights there as well.
^ Indeed... I recall a cold and crystal clear night in Chicago on Lake Shore Drive (LSD) and coming out of an incredible party having the Northern Lights putting on one hell of a display over the city and Lake Michigan
In the high 80's here today, a loooooong way south of the equator. Would really like to see some rain soon. :(
Would really like to see the Northern Lights, and Canada would be nice too. I don't use my winter t-shirts much. ;)
Have you seen the aurora australis?
The furthest south I've seen the aurora borealis is in Nevada about 120 miles (200 km) north of Las Vegas. That far south it's usually just a red glow.
Unfortunately not, I'm not quite far enough south to see it. And it doesn't look as though it's always visible.
Certainly stunning!
http://www.think-tasmania.com/aurora/ (http://www.think-tasmania.com/aurora/)
http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/environment/atmosphere/aurora (http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/environment/atmosphere/aurora)
The Aurora Borealis is incredible to see. It is more prominent at different times of the year. Up here, a friend and I used to do a lot of fly-fishing late at night. Sometimes the sky would actually change colors in long ribbons and waves. All kinds of color! Green, blue, yellow, orange, etc... (and NO I wasn't tripping, though for those in the know, it is the same friend who frequents the garage! ??? )
Also, during that period, I was living at the lake house which is about 7 miles south of where I am now. I now live in town and the "light pollution" in town makes a difference in how it looks. I have some great photography gear, but have never attempted to photograph it. This year I'll make the effort. It is a truly spectacular sight...
On a side note, one night while fishing at the lake, this friend and I actually went and woke up my wife at around 2:00am to make her come out and witness with us the "alien" invasion! It was actually the first time either of us had spent much time staring at the sky at the same time. (the trout must not have been biting!) Anyway, what we were seeing were satellites going by hundreds of miles up. The night was so clear, we literally could watch multiple satellites in a 60 second period! It was my wife who assured us that it wasn't an alien invasion, and was really only satellites!
The meteor showers are another post entirely!
@VO
LSD indeed 8)
Guess I should have checked out ozitraveller's links! I've seen the "lights" at least as good as the first link he posted, sometimes even more intensely. The link to the Tasmania lights are not nearly as colorful or intense as they get here in Northern Maine. Not sure if that is the difference in Maine being so far North as opposed to how far South Tasmania is...
edit: Wow both links are showing the "Southern lights"! And, it is the second link that has the really good pics. Up here they get at least that good at different times throughout the year...
Tassie probably doesn't have as much light pollution (light as luminosity, not light as in less than heavy! ;)) as the big island just north.
Hobart is a little further from the pole than Maine too. The only places closer to the south pole would be Auckland Island/Adams Island, south of NZ or Macquarie Island ( part of Tasmania).
Quote from: ozitraveller on March 31, 2014, 02:44:34 AM
Curious: since it's so cold up there, do you guys do the Scandinavian sauna thingy? A sauna and a quick plunge naked into the snow? :o
NO WAY!!! I'm way to chicken. I've never heard any mention of a local "Polar Bear Club" or of any tradition up here where they do that. I've definitely heard of it in other cold places though...
Quote from: jedi on April 01, 2014, 02:29:49 AM
Quote from: ozitraveller on March 31, 2014, 02:44:34 AM
Curious: since it's so cold up there, do you guys do the Scandinavian sauna thingy? A sauna and a quick plunge naked into the snow? :o
NO WAY!!! I'm way to chicken. I've never heard any mention of a local "Polar Bear Club" or of any tradition up here where they do that. I've definitely heard of it in other cold places though...
And I definitely don't want to see any photos! :o
It's said to be very refreshing, or so I'm told. ;)
I suppose it's something to do on those long cold winter nights. Or there's scrabble!
I guarantee you'd be playing "scrabble" to get your naked ass out of the snow! It just turned April 1st, and we still have a little over 3 feet of snow on the ground. I wish I had taken a picture of my neighbors on Sunday afternoon. I'm not sure how he got that huge snow-blower up on his roof, but it was a ridiculous site and gave me a good laugh whilst clearing my driveway of the 10 inches we got that day...
They are an older couple (in their late 80's at least?) and their son who has to be in his 60's uses a plow for their driveway. Due to this, their front yard has snow piled almost to the eaves of the house. I suppose he somehow got the snow-blower up there by dragging it to the top and then using a couple of planks or something to actually get it on the roof. Some homes end up collapsing from the weight of the snow if your don't keep it "raked" off...
It is a "heart attack" chore for sure!!! I'm sure I'll be long dead before I ever attempt to get my snow-blower up there!
Wouldn't a flame-thrower do a better/quicker job!!? ;D Or maybe some heater elements to melt the snow.
It would have been good to see a photo of the neighbour on the roof blowing the snow off though.
Do you get water restrictions up there? We usually have water restrictions over the summer when we have a poor winter/spring rainfall.
No water issues here! We are surrounded by lakes and rivers here. If I'm not mistaken I believe someone told me that the name of the town here where I live, Presque Isle, translated to "Almost an Island"!
We've were in draught for almost 20 years until about 4 years ago. And the state government put a desal plant, just in case it happens again, and had a policy of no new dams. Now it's just sitting idle. And it cost a lot.
For those who wonder -40 C = -40 F
That is the point where the two scales cross.
^
Equals..Hey, I'm f-ing COLD! :D
Quote from: jeffreyC on April 02, 2014, 01:10:08 AM
For those who wonder -40 C = -40 F
That is the point where the two scales cross.
-40C = -40 F = 233.15K ;D
Does anyone do ice fishing? Like I saw in the Grumpy Old Men movie.
Northern-Southern lights, Snow, low temperatures! I would want to be there! Really! Cause here we have nearly 300 days of sun, Day time temperature range of 30-40 C through out the year, Annual rainfall of 70-90 in.
Maine and Tasmania seems fascinating places. To be honest only thing I know about maine is jedi and Stephen King ;)
I'm a bit more familiar with Tasmania. Bellerive Oval, Boon, Ponting and ofcourse, ozitravellar ;)
Cheers!!!
G'day matey!
You forgot Cascade! ;)
30-40 all year round is too hot me, just over summer is bad enough! Almost hit 50C a couple of years ago! Which is crook 'cos the roads melt!
Cricket reference: "I'm a bit more familiar with Tasmania. Bellerive Oval, Boon, Ponting"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket)
Quote from: ozitraveller on April 02, 2014, 05:04:13 AM
You forgot Cascade! ;)
Oh yes! I forgot Cascade! I think Boon's record of drinking 52 cans of beer on a flght from Australia to England still stands ;)
Quote from: ozitraveller on April 02, 2014, 05:04:13 AM
30-40 all year round is too hot me
Yeah it's too hot! You can get accustomed to cold but not to heat!
And coming to cricket here is a good read for Americans who want to know more about the greatest team game on earth 8)
http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall11/oconner_c/baseball.html (http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall11/oconner_c/baseball.html)
Cheers!!!
As far as I know that record still stand and is unlikely to be beaten.
I prefer test cricket, all 5 days of it! ;)
@jedi - are there covered bridges in Maine? I saw some in an old movie with Cary Grant.
Yes there are still some historically preserved covered bridges here in The County. One is in Perham about 15 miles west of me. While working for UPS, I lived in Indiana and they also had several there. My parents live in Missouri, (VastOne could also verify this) and I believe there are still several functioning there as well. A lot of the communities up here where they still have one they are famously painted and decorated inside and out. A very cool sight!
I'm curious to know what would be the reason for covering the bridge too? Stop the snow from destroying the bridge maybe? Interesting...
You are correct; the cover protects the structural and load bearing portions of a wooden bridge from the elements.
Also by keeping rain and snow off the bridge it avoids ice forming on the bridge.
Bridges get iced before the road due to being open underneath, and a bridge is a very dangerous place to suddenly hit ice while driving.
Also a good place to shelter in bad weather too. So long as it doesn't burn the bridge down, or wash it away, or shake it to pieces.