Snow, Snow and More Snow: Feb, 2014

January and February in Philadelphia have been among the coldest and snowiest on record (even as western US had heat and drought).  

Upright shrubs without leaves managed.








Evergreens suffered more.

White pines were especially hard hit.
Many had branches split or snapped in half.

Shoveling Tips

 There was plenty of snow to practice shoveling, so far well over 50 inches and more in sheltered places.

 The key is to get new snow off as fast as possible; the sun can melt any residue.

Also, important to push the snow back beyond the pavement so that a strip of earth is showing.  This will soak up melting, avoid ice on the pavement and need for salt.

Two photos to the right show how overhanging snow melts onto the pavement, forming ice and hazards and requiring salt.

Snow and Ice on the Roads, Feb. 2014

The pictures here do not show the reality of streets crowded with vehicles, drifts, salt & dirt and no place to park.  They show how beautiful and deadly conditions can be when snow is driven over, not plowed or salted and then frozen.  Oh and the potholes!

 Even a minor snowfall can turn into a sheet of ice overnight.  Conditions seen to the left and below were difficult to even walk on.

 

The key is getting snow off quickly so it is not driven over and the sun can warm the street.

Enough Snow for a Cave, but No Place to Pee

 Some of the parking lot drifts were 10 and 15 feet, high enough to build a real snow cave!

 Even in a little snow cave, the light coming through the snow is definitely blue.

For a dog who likes his bare ground to sniff, times are hard:  just pavement and snow are to be found.  
What's a dog to do?

Note little red dog booties necessary because of all the salt.

Fog on a Day of Warmer Air and Colder Ground

The woods above in the morning have a brownish tinge, whereas afternoon shots in the fields below are almost blue.  As the air became warmer, the fog became thicker.

New Year in N Y

 The line outside the women's bathroom at the opera was a better show than the show:  Die Fledermaus.

A wonderful spread for late dinner on New Year's Eve.

 Dumplings, pies, balls, buns, twists and other goodies at a Chinese bakery.

Below, the looming rebuilt World Trade Center tower.

January, 2014: Warm to Cold

The first two  weeks of January 2014 were not particularly cold.  There was even warm days with lots of fog.

Around the middle of the month, began a series of 'polar vortices' or 'Alberta Clippers,' bringing a total of over 36 inches of snow, biting cold, and lots of salt on the streets.

It is hard to show cold.
Images were taken at sunrise.

Poster Art and Holiday Greetings

Alan and Cyane's holiday greeting card to left.
It is based on the poster shown below, which was put up to auction at Swann Galleries in New York in December.

The poster to right is by Josef Hoffmann and was done for the Wiener Werkstatte workshop in Vienna around 1905.  The colony of artists had as its objective 'the fabrication of exquisitely wrought and wonderfully designed everyday objects.  Envisioned as a close collaboration of artisans and craftsmen that would champion handmade work over machine-made mass-produced items."

The poster below was one of our favorites at the Swann Gallery sale.  http://www.swanngalleries.com/3dcat/2336

The Beit Company was started by Ferdinand Beit Sr (1817-1870), a Hamburg Germany chemist, entrepreneur and import-exporter from a Jewish family.  He started a number of businesses, including fertilizer, paints and book and stone inks.  His son Ferdinand Beit Jr (1858-1928) carried on the business; this poster is from 1901.  Ferdinand Beit Jr was also active in local politics on the left and working against anti-Semitism.  This advertising poster is interesting as the colors are those of the German flag and the lady is looking to the left!

Christmas Contrasts, December 2013

 Homemade Christmas Pine Trees with an 'outcrop' of paper and leaves.

To right, the Met Life building dolled up Christmas tree.

Above, the Lafayette Inspirational Ensemble from Brooklyn, NY.

Below, the grand stairs at the Metropolitan Opera.

Winter Weather: December 2013 in Philadelphia

These photos show a spectrum of light and precipitation conditions (often fluctuating around the freezing point).  The first shot was at night after freezing rain, the second and third shots around sunset after a real snow.  The last picture is of bubbles frozen on road ice on a cold and slippery morning.