Winter Wonderland

It started to snow all around us last week, and then it descended upon Stevenson a few days ago. The landscape was transformed from colorful reds, oranges, and golds, to white! I'd only ever experienced small amounts of snow in the past, nothing like what we're seeing now. Not that it's been a blizzard, bu there's definitely been enough to play about. We'd hiked up the hill behind us last week and Ash got to see snow for the very first time. It was like another world up there. Soft fluffy snow drifted slowly from the sky and landed silently all around us. I was amazed at how quiet it was. All the tree limbs were weighed down heavy with the stuff too. We crunched around in it, threw it around, and generally made a fool of ourselves like little kids. I'm sure to people from the north we looked out of our minds but to us it was like we'd landed on another planet. What made it more unusual seeming was that at the time there was no snow at our house. It was hardly even cold, yet less than 10 minutes away we were being covered in the stuff. I'd forgotten how wet snow is. You see it and it just looks like the powder flakes used in movies, but playing out in it results in looking like you've gone swimming in your clothes. We had to make ourselves a coat rack to hang our jackets on to dry. I also invested in a pair of the long john type thermal underwear because in snow, jeans just don't keep you dry. strangely enough the air doesn't feel cold enough to warrant all this white stuff, and as you will see in the video ash was quite comfy tromping around in it with a t-shirt. In addition to snow we have had icicles, which I actually find more amusing than snow. I just get giddy when I can break an icicle off a roof or object and lick it or chase people around with it like it's a dagger.. I know, I just turned 5 again.. but it is loads of fun seriously, try it some time. There was also a frozen puddle in the driveway that looked like a wee frozen lake. I stared at it and imagined tiny people ice skating across it's surface. Then I tried stepping on it. Apparently it was only frozen on a top layer because it cracked and I could see bubbles and liquid sloshing around underneath the surface. I know what you're thinking, and don't worry, I would never actually try to walk on a real frozen lake in this way, I have watched TV you know...  Today there was enough snow and ice on our little road beside the house to get the idea to try sledding down it. We only had a lid from a huge rubbermaid storage container but we tried our best. I wouldn't have called it a success necessarily, but it was a heck of a fun time. I threw all the snow drenched video clips together in a montage of silliness for your enjoyment:

CLICK HERE TO SEE FOOLS ON ICE