A winter getaway

This winter has been the complete opposite of last winter. It's been unseasonably warm with almost no snow.  We had more snow during the freak October snowstorm as compared to the entire winter so far.  Last week I was even looking for salamanders and turtles...that's how crazy it has been. I can't say I'm complaining as my tires on my car and due to replaced in short order. 

We took our winter Vermont trip early this year and it was a very small group as the parents were up at the house.  Even Vermont had very little snow until the days we drove up and two snow events gave us about a foot of fresh and festive snow.  It was the perfect snow and made everything beautiful and postcard like.  It was the perfect depth to take leisurely walks in the woods and the dogs enjoyed romping about. 

We even had a couple days of bitter cold and we awoke one morning to what appeared to be frozen fog up in the mountaintops. See the pic above.  We did get stir crazy after a couple days and even though it was bitter cold that night I enlisted some to go out and look at the stars and attempt to see the Milky Way.  The Milky wasn't visible but Jupiter was out in all its glory and the stars were beautiful as usual in a cold and clear night.  The dogs settled in each night after hours of romping about.  See if you can pick out the flying pig formation dog in the very top photo.

The sunsets were awesome and I snapped photograph and photograph trying to capture that perfect shot while trying to stay warm.

We even got to see a mild sundog one sunset, which I kept calling a snow dog. It's when it's so cold two bright spots appear on each side of the sun.  Only one was visible as the trees blocked the other one. 

Little bit of everything

For President's day weekend, we headed to Vermont for some much needed R&R. We got lucky and didn't encounter any epic blizzards or crazy driving conditions. So it was relaxation all around. For a day or two, we had very warm conditions that approached 50 degrees. Then moments of cold and snow showers. The dogs certainly seemed to enjoy the snow even though there was plenty back home.
I ate a ton of amazing food this trip that is beyond words and description. I certainly came home weighing more then when I came in. I wish I spent time showshoeing rather than plain walking in the 2 feet of snow. It was a crap shoot every step you took. Sometimes you stayed on the surface and other times you fell through. Nevermind the drifts that were thigh high.

We didn't do any sledding, which was probably for the best. Last winter, I went partially down the ice ramp, caught air and landed on my head. Thankfully I wasn't really hurt although my neck was a bit sore. Others had the same fate as I did.
The best thing of all is seeing the plentiful stars at night. We had full moon or nearly full moon the entire trip so you could see everything without a flashlight. We were eagerly anticipating seeing some northern lights but once again we got skunked.

Snowicane

Update: I really thought the snow would be over and I'd be sitting in my office, not home again. Looks like we've got over a foot and it keeps coming down. My parking area and sidewalks have not been plowed since they won't do that until the storm is over. With the winds, there's lot of drifts. Here's some new pics.

Day 1 below

Snowpocalypse, Snowtorious B.I.G., Snowmageddon, and Snowicane are all new snow terms I learned this winter. Last fall, I had a feeling this winter would be bad and purchased 2 pairs of wintry type snow boots. So here I am looking at snow storm part 1 zillion. After taking work home all week, it finally materialized. Mind you the daily weather report this week has been 2 to 4 inches of snow every night. But it never seemed to really happen until today. Of course there's been a battle between the raging snow storm and the above freezing temperatures. The result is a slushy disgusting mess in the parking lot. I'm off the check the mail in my rubber knee boots before the reported hurricane force winds should kick in. Is it spring yet? Time to grab the nearest groundhog and interrogate 'em.

Snow weekend

We got our first real snow in years this weekend. Friday after work was spent doing the outdoor errands that needed to get done. Seems like everyone else had that idea. The snow was supposed to start early on saturday. I woke up and the sun was shining. I checked the weather and for some reason my area was in the donut hole of snow. Snow all around but no snow for us. So I took advantage and cleaned out my car. By afternoon the snow started and kept going. Looks like we got about a foot of snow. The news coverage last night was totally ridiculous. One channel felt the need to extend the snow news to an hour. Lots of reporters in different reporting that it was indeed snowing and that you shouldn't drive. I sure did get a lot done around the house this weekend, but I'll be sure happy to leave the house tomorrow.

A Nor'easter in October

When I woke up late this morning, I knew it was going to be rainy. I check the weather frequently and had one last check while chowing down on breakfast. I knew I was in for a day of rain and that it would probably snow in the Catskills and Poconos. I can't recall a time it snowed in October except for an occasional flurry. It was raining cats and dogs until about 11 am. Then it switched over to snow. Cool beans I thought. Then it started sticking and it kept snowing and snowing. Sidewalks and roads turned to a slushy mess of signficance. Then the plow and salt trucks go by. I venture out to lunch. Ice scraper is in the car of course. I decide to pass on the scraping and use my wipers to push most of the snow away. Just walking to my car my feet are completely soaked. The umbrella is basically useless since it's horizontally blowing wet snow. My scarf blows off and a huge chunk of snow falls into my purse. I have a slushy ride to lunch and my tires are working gangbusters. On my way back into the office I decide to grab my ice scraper. It's in the trunk and since my trunk opens like a regular building door, a huge wad of slushy snow falls onto my privacy shield in the trunk. It basically covers it with about 3 inches. I attempt to brush most of it off while more snow falls or blows in. Sigh! I scramble back in and try to dry out the inside of my purse and my feet. I then hear through the grapevine that Interstate Route 80 is closed for 15 miles in both directions. More stories of various road closures ensue. What in tarnation is going on. Then my coworker gets a photo of the situation about 20 miles west of us. The picture looks like a blizzard had hit complete with plowed snow banks. I decide to leave early before the slush turns to ice. It took extra time even the roads were fine. But I am sure not ready for winter after today.

Finally a snow day!

Finally some actual snow has fallen! It's been almost two years. Last year we got a few sleet/freezing rain days and a few inches of snow this year. I have a big project due today, which had to be driven to Trenton...not by me thankfully. I reasoned that I can't lift the numerous boxes of materials nor was either of my vehicles suitable for a long snowy drive. We had prepared as much as we could yesterday and I reluctantly walked out to my snow covered car this morning. There was about three fluffy inches that I had to brush off and then I started off. By the time I hit the real road, I already saw one car driving erratically with its hazards on. Not a good sign even if it was a real wheel drive car. So after passing this scary car, I pulled over and called work. Do they really need me to help finish up the project or can I work for home today? They said I was not really needed so back home I went. Woohoo. So I've been working from home while catching up on my stories. Funny how some soaps just never change. Patch and Kalya are back on Days of our Lives. I guess once you are on a soap, it's next to impossible to really leave.

First snow of the season

I don't know if everyone else was as shocked as I was to wake up monday morning and seeing a blanket of white everywhere. I figured it wasn't sticking to the roads so I left without my snowboots and immediately regretted it when I stepped in 2 inches of slush in the parking lot. I decided that I was too lazy to brush the snow off my car, which I also regretted since it didn't melt/fall off until most of the way to the office. It snowed heavily most of the day and even more so up north at the office. We got like 4 inches by home and nearly 6 inches by work. But it was the pleasant snow that barely stuck to the roads...that is except the office parking lot which was a mess and the sidewalks were no better. But they got the crews out by the afternoon. Of course it almost all melted by now.

It sure was fun seeing trees with leaves covered in snow. I wish I had some pics of the bright red maples.