Saturday, November 20, 2010

Winter Wonderland


By 3:00 pm yesterday afternoon the sky was sullen and dark. There was a smell of snow in the air that belied the drizzle of rain. By late evening the drizzle turned to snow. At 11 pm, Tim and I went for a walk. The streets were dark and quiet, few cars passed by, their noise hushed by the snow. 

Trees laden with heavy wet snow bowed their limbs. The temperature hovered just around freezing. We crunched along the street, our footprints accompanying earlier tracks of deer and rabbits in the newly fallen snow. Then home to bed.


This was the view from our window late this morning. I awoke around 5 to the noise of Tim looking at his cell phone. The power was off. We think the heavy snow snapped a power line. We ate a cold breakfast (oh, how I longed for a cup of tea), then went for another walk.


Two quail perched on the Japanese maple tree outside the window. More were lined up on the van roof. 

Snow here is not the norm for winter, so when it comes it's cause both for great rejoicing and great wailing. I prefer the rejoicing part - the beauty astounds me as my familiar world is transformed. 


17 comments:

  1. A lovely glimpse of winter........

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  2. The snow is amazing, the quail beautiful. And a reminder to me to be thankful for my gas stove! Enjoy your winter wonderland!

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  3. It's beautiful. We don't get snow very often here but one of the things I enjoy most when it happens is how quiet it seems.

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  4. We'd like to think that we have traded our snowy winters for your milder ones, but truth to tell, we are well aware that snow is on the way. Hope that your weather moderates back to something you recognize.

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  5. Wow! That is a lot of snow, especially for out there! I hope there isn't any snow when we're out in the valley! Maybe only a light dusting on Christmas day!

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  6. beautiful..we had a fair amount on the mainland..
    we are due for a long winter..maybe you should have the camping stove ready for your tea lol

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  7. Isn't it beautiful?!
    We still have quite a lot up here. I was up your way yesterday for a conference but headed south before things got too hairy on the Malahat.
    Your first picture is lovely - very other-worldly!

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  8. We moved up to Eastern Washington from So Cal and the snow is my favorite part of the transition. Yes, we've had a few record-breaking winters, but I still love the snow. The silence and the beauty as the world is dipped in sugar. Looks like you're off to a good start.

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  9. It is indeed so beautiful. But having stayed a couple of winters with my daughter in Northern BC, I remember the hardships also...the endless sweeping of snow from the drive, the steps....very hard.

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  10. The first snow of the year is always magical I think.
    Your first photo is so atmospheric, wow!
    Hope the power is back on, like you I would be longing for a cuppa!
    Maggie

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  11. Oh wow ! It's really beautiful ! I expect we should have some snow here too, in two weeks or less. The air is getting colder and colder, and the girls can't wait.

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  12. It's looking so pretty and clean over there...a good reason to rejoice.

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  13. Thank you for sharing your beautiful images, this is the part I miss, the rejoicing and the amazing beauty of it all. The winter wonderland aspect!

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  14. Beautiful pictures, glad that you were able to enjoy the snow despite the loss of power. Its too early for me, hope we hold off for some time yet.

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  15. For a long time I have not seen such a lovely pictures . GREAT ! The first image is like an old-fashioned postcard . Takes me dream about the good old days .

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  16. Lorrie, you have a beautiful view of the trees from your window.
    Did you sing "Winter Wonderland"? A walk in the first snow would have been lovely. I remember seizing the moment one night in Campbell River - the snow was magical and our kids enjoyed making a big snowman and snow angels at about 10 pm one night. It was the only chance they got!

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