Weather Report: Spring’s Winter

No-name creek re-freezing along its edges --

As I pulled on winter boots and coat and scarf and chook and mittens this morning, the temperature was 23ºF, with a “feels like” report of 9ºF. What is nowadays referred to “feels like” used to be called “wind chill” not all that long ago, but when I was a kid, it wasn’t called anything at all. We just had temperature, no matter how hard the wind was blowing and how much colder it felt than what the thermometer showed. 

Crows calling in the northeast at 9 a.m. sounded like ducks, their voices muted and distorted by the wind, that wind in the tall pines sounding like waves out on Lake Michigan. If woodpeckers were at work this morning, their hammerings were drowned out entirely. And yet, although the forecast had called for nothing but clouds today, large swathes of blue sky showed as the sun rose. A welcome sight!

Glimpses of blue sky and morning sun!

 

Combination Snow and Fog

Today's landscape is a reminder

that 'stark' can be beautiful.

 

Enchanted World

 

The Many Faces of Snowy Dos Cabezas

From Twin Lakes

From Blue Sky Road

From Hw. 186

Birds in the Snow (from the back door)

 

After yesterday's Chiricahua adventure that included hours of cold, wet feet, and this morning's hour-long walk in snow and cold wind, I had no desire to bundle up to try for good photographs of birds at the feeders, but it was interesting to see that gusting snow did not keep a gang of hungry house finches from collecting. I ventured no farther than the back door, standing there in my slippers, the door open just long enough for a click!

Later, as the wind was abating, the snowstorm winding down, I opened the back door again and aimed at the feeders. Wasn't this cardinal the clever fellow, though? Posing against the white background!

Magic Mountain Morning

 

Looking toward the dawn on a snowy morning

That early morning light was in the west.

There was more color in the west than in the east, too.

In the east, clouds delayed sunrise.

Waiting, waiting for sunrise....

But higher in the mountains, the sun already reached the ground.

And every minute, the light was changing.

The magic was dizzying.

Any moment now --

The SUN!!!

But sun we have almost every day in Southern Arizona.

Snow, now --

Snow is the big story today!

And Then the Sun Came Out!

 

Not "pristine," but full of our tracks --

Others have also been making tracks.

The sun came out, yes, but dark clouds still hung above the Dos Cabezas Mountains, so that light and dark made striking contrasts. 

Snow clings to stubbornly clinging mesquite leaves.

Looking west through hackberry branches to where the sun would soon set --

Peasy does not tire of exploring smells under the snow.

And then I see the moon!

Later, long after sunset, the sky began to clear around the moon. Temperature was our lowest this winter, below 20 degrees F. And so, the snow was still deep and abundant on Wednesday morning, sparkling in the sun. Peasy loved it!

Peasy in Tuesday afternoon snow...

...happy to see the snow still  there for him on Wednesday morning!

Spring Snow in the Mountains

Wednesday was a cold, windy, rainy day in the ghost town, mountain peaks hidden in clouds. Thursday morning, March 19th, the clouds lifted to reveal a sprinkling of snow on the mountaintop, looking like powdered sugar delicately sifted onto brownies. For about half an hour, then, I enjoyed sitting outdoors, talking to my son by phone, and watching the light on the newly snowy mountain peaks change minute by minute.

Sun on Mountains After Snowy Night

As I looked north (above) on Wednesday morning, clouds were hiding the Dos Cabezas peaks. The view northeast (below) was similarly magical, however, with sunlight piercing the clouds and lighting portions of the snowy mountainsides.

Fields in Snow with Cable

These fields of corn, with sunflowers in the foreground and a tree-covered hill as backdrop, have been particularly beautiful since our recent (unexpectedly early) snow.

The challenge to photographing these fields is a heavy power cable that interrupts the scene.

This is a situation where I miss Photoshop and vow to return to it. Because to my eye the full effect of the sweep of sunflowers depends on the background trees.