Month: February 2014

ROMANCING THE…SNOW – Part Two, ENOUGH!

On By mvschulzeIn Photo, Pondering18 Comments

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It seems every two days, another “event” has tested our resolve, romanticists included. After the icy images of Part One, the expression on this forlorn squirrel, above – “weathering” a lull at about 8 deg. F (-15 deg. C,) only hints at what was about to come. And he already shows the scars of this winter’s relentless play.

Below: Some 22 hours later, heavy snow is falling on top of existing layers of snow – ice – snow – ice, distributing dangerous weight,Image

…and continuing into the night.Image

The icicle reveals some heating loss from our house…Image

And Sandy Paws (remember her?) navigates the frozen turf, as the brilliant sun spotlights natures latest work.Image

Alisa’s Travel Theme this week is “Romance”

ROMANCING THE… SNOW – Travel Theme: Romance

On By mvschulzeIn Cruise ship, Hiking, Mystery, New York, Pondering, Travel13 Comments

Cold, disruptive, slippery, dangerous and beautifully romantic! That’s how I “Picture” this exceptional winter’s snow and ice storms. Part one (of two) is here: “The icing on the snow,” (storm # 11, but who’s counting anymore!)

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Above: A thick layer of ice coated one of the accumulating snow storms providing this glossy coating, as seen from Eagle Rock Reservation, East Orange, New Jersey. NYC is in view, about 13 miles (21 Km) to the east.

Below: 9/11 loved ones, are wonderfully remembered by this memorial. 

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Below: Snow and ice coated benches always present themselves well in the cold sunny days after a storm, and icicles confirm the brutal temperatures.Image

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Below: Sandy Paws the dog is easily supported by the crusted snow, and a slight glimmer of spring to come is captured in the Rhododendron’s bud.Image

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Alisa’s Travel Theme this week is “Romance.”

“Here Comes the Sun”

On By mvschulzeIn Art, Buildings, Hiking, Pondering, Science, Travel16 Comments

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Many years ago, I spent idle time at work, figuring where one would have to be to see the sun rise directly behind the Empire State Building. This morning, I braved the 14 deg, weather, ice and snow to do it again. I missed. 

The quarter-mile path to the exact spot was choked with snow and closed. 

However, below is the original, a little lacking in sharpness as I shot through a monocular back in the (gulp!) seventies!

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With yet another snow storm due tomorrow night, I think I’ll wait for next year to try again.

Images from Eagle Rock Reservation, West Orange, New Jersey

Travel Theme: Dry

On By mvschulzeIn Hiking, Photo, Pondering, Travel13 Comments

Ailsa’s Travel Theme this week is: “DRY.” Themes inspire others to share thoughts and/or images of common subjects.  

ImageAbove: Death Valley National Monument, California, as we visited few years back. Specifically Rt. 190, descending east into Panamint Valley. Hot, desolate, foreboding, inhospitable, and … DRY AS A BONE! 

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Break down here, and you better have a lot of water!  

Towns and features in this vicinity: Lone Pine,  Stovepipe Wells, Furnace Creek, Badwater Basin, Funeral Mountains; and below, on the western side…, lonely Zabriski Point.

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Badwater Basin, in Death Valley is the lowest point in the continental USA, 282 ft (86m) below sea-level Incredibly, it is only 88 miles (142 km) from the highest point (Mt. Whitney, 14,505 ft (4421 km!)  Below is a Google Map of the southwestern USA connecting these points with a line, and a picture of Mt. Whitney from Lone Pine, about 15 miles away. All these photos were taken on the same day as we traveled ESE generally along this line–>

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 Below, Mt. Whitney from Lone Pine, California

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Thanks for viewing. Comments and “likes”  are always appreciated.

We took these images some years ago while on our first West Coast Vacation