Random Wanderings and Wonderings
There really wasn’t much of a winter this year but there were a few opportunities to get out and take pictures of scenes that weren’t relentlessly brown. Here’s a gallery containing a few of the things I saw this winter that didn’t quite make it into posts of their own for one reason or another.
We had a big March Break storm last night in East Dodgeville. I decided to use the opportunity to do something I’ve never been able to do before: take pictures of lightning. I’ve tried in the past but have been wholly unsuccessful for one simple reason: by the time I see that spectacular motivational flash of lightning and then get the camera set up and positioned, the storm has already passed and I’m standing there with a remote in my hand looking like an idiot. But this was a big enough storm that I was still able to have the camera ready for the last two hours of the light show despite missing the first wave of lightning. I’m also a big wimp so I stayed inside and took pictures through the window. I’m sure there would have been many more and better pictures if I’d ventured down to the shore with an umbrella, but some of the strikes were close enough that I was quite happy to be hiding inside. Check below the fold for the obligatory gallery and some comments on the storm and taking pictures of lightning.
In homage to Goldfinger actress Shirley Eaton, I leave one square inch of my skin exposed so that I won’t suffocate.
The worst thing about riding in -24°C windchill isn’t trying to stay warm. It’s not the extra time I spend each morning bundling up with a face mask, neck warmer, balaclava, and headband to keep the harsh wind off my delicate face and neck. It’s not even trying to unlock the bike while wearing lobster gloves. No, by far the worst thing about riding in this weather is frightening all the kids at the daycare next door to the office. Sorry kids; spring’s almost here. I know I said that last week, but I really mean it this time.
Got that, everyone? Snow is going to blanket southern Ontario, even the city of Toronto. That’s right, the super-futuristic protective weather dome that normally steers all precipitation away from us and maintains a comfortable 21° temperature year-round is malfunctioning, with the result that even the city of Toronto will be snowed upon. The low pressure system, tracking from Windsor to Ottawa will veer as many as no kilometers off its path, ensuring that even the city of Toronto will see at least the minimum amount of snow expected from the storm.
Yes Canada, it’s winter out there. Even in the city of Toronto.
(The Weather Network storm watch has been updated since the above screen cap was taken late this afternoon; Toronto is no longer singled out as if snow is as unexpected here as it is in Miami.)