I Swear, It Wasn't Me

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Snow Business - Lesson Two

temperature falls
windshield so very dirty
hit the spray button

pull over dammit
scrape scrape scrape scrape scrape scrape scrape
score one for physics

Snow Business - Lesson One

A funny sight greeted me at the trailhead parking lot, er, office, this morning. It turns out the best way to avoid ruining your windshield wipers (while you're at work and it happens to be snowing) is to pop them up and leave them up all day. I'll remember to take a picture next time so you can share my amusement (and learn along with me). In the meantime, here's another "on my drive to work" photograph of today's fresh snowfall.



P.S. For you almanac watchers, sun's up today 8:57 a.m., sun's down today 4:28 p.m.

More snow!!

Two new inches of fresh powdery snow today! It sure does stick around, even on the roads. For what I can figure, it's 1) too cold and 2) there's not enough sunshine for it to melt. I'll take pics in the morning (though it will be dark when I leave for work, so you may have to wait until I can sneak out mid-day). Don't worry, there will be plenty of mountain pictures. :)

Tips and Hints

An off-topic post today (seems that many of my readers are getting weary of all these pictures of mountains and scenic beauty). So, I thought I would share some tips and hints that might be useful or at least amusing. Dear readers, please email me your own tips and hints and I'll be happy to post them here for others to learn from and enjoy.

Portable Pharmaceuticals. When you buy new clothing that comes with an extra button or extra yarn (as if you are really going to sit down and darn that wool sweater you picked up on clearance), stash the extra button/yarn but put to good use the litte mini-ziploc bag it came in. Turns out that little baggie makes a very handy travel container for a handful of Advil or aspirin or your modern day pain reliever of choice. Works great for purses, backpacks, etc.

Crossed Legs. You never know when the next opportunity will come along. If you have the option, go.

Indirect Communication. When someone offers you a mint or a piece of chewing gum, don't try to guess their true motive. Yes, it could be kindness - but it's safer to assume you have very offensive breath. Therefore, always accept (with appropriate gratitude) that which is offered.

Want to Talk About the Weather?

Supposed to get down to 5 tonight. And it's only November 4th. Machupichu that's cold! So, I wear a hat when I go outside. And gloves. And a scarf. And I'm considering getting myself a face mask. Luckily, Anchorage is just as pretty cold as it is warm. This first picture is the view from the rooftop of a parking garage where I parked for a meeting the other day. The cloudy vapor that you see below the mountain range is actually "ice fog," which is really fun to scrape off the windshield in the morning, esp. when it's 5 degrees outside.

Finally managed to spend some time in the office today and whipped out the camera for a few pictures. This second picture is of a mountain called "Sleeping Lady," which is west of Anchorage across the Cook Inlet. According to the locals, the mountain is called Sleeping Lady because it resembles a lady reposing (her head is on the far left, with her hair coming down the side of the mountain). It's hard to tell in this picture, but the name is quite fitting.

As the sun went down, it lit up the Aleutian mountain range (at least, I think it's the Aleutian mountain range) for a lovely view. Mind you, I took this picture around 4:30 or so. It is nice to have a west-facing office and be warmed by the afternoon sun, esp. when it's 5 degrees outside (have I mentioned that?).

One last picture - the view as I walked out to the car this evening. Note the cute little Honda CRV in the background on the right (the one with the Maryland plates) and the complete lack of any motor vehicle that isn't a 4x4. Although my scientific survey of Anchoragers came up with conflicting results on the necessity of studded snow tires, all of the locals agreed that an all-wheel or 4-wheel drive is a must for winter driving in Anchorage. I haven't made up my mind yet on the whole studded tire thing, but a remote starter and engine block heater are looking more and more likely...

Sunglasses at Morning

Not really. More like Headlights at Morning (for the drive to work):














And, the view from my apartment this morning (November 1):



















Compared to a few weeks ago:

SNOW!!

Returned to Anchorage late last night to find a light covering of snow and two icicles hanging from my back bumper. Alaskan icicles must be pretty sturdy, as they survived the drive home from the airport and are still there as far as I know. The car thermometer read a chilly sixteen degrees this morning, although in all honesty it didn't feel that cold. The air was fresh and smelled like winter - a good sign that it's almost time to start skiing! FYI: sunrise 8:29 a.m., sunset 4:58 p.m. (ack). I'll post pictures tonight - finally remembered the camera cord....

p.s. In giving the weather forecast this morning, the radio announcer used the phrase "above zero." As if to differentiate from other possible temperatures that would not be "above zero." Oh dear.