Day 15.021: Disappointing time-lapse

The storm was at the low end of what we were predicted, but since I'd gone to the trouble of creating this, I may as well post it - a time-lapse of the storm. There's a period late morning when it got quite wild, and then a period after dusk when the snow built up more rapidly for a while, but overall it's not the most exciting thing you've ever seen. On the plus-side it's only about 30 seconds long.

 

Day 15.020: Exile #2's Sunday Column #381

Exile #2 writes...

So maybe we didn’t get 30 inches of snow in yesterday’s storm like some places in Massachusetts but we still got 11 inches and that is plenty when you have pathways and driveways to clear! We were grateful to keep our power, though, so we could hunker down and play board games while the blizzard raged outside, and today the sun came out, which didn’t have much impact on the snow but it did make it look very pretty indeed.

Greeted by the sun, but work to do

The view as we started clearing

and when we finished

Day 15.019: Storm in progress

Storms like this tend to result in very uneven amounts of snow. We certainly have had a lot, but maybe less than those of us who like a really dramatic storm would have liked. There may be a bit more overnight.

This is how it stacked up today, with the wildest weather mid-morning and the fastest snow build-up through the evening:

Tomorrow, we'll take stock and clear our way back to the road - there's an impressive wall of snow from the plows at the end of the driveway.

Day 15.018: The calm before...

...the storm:

Fortunately, we don't expect to have to be out in it except to move the snow - so we can just stay in and watch it come down (or across as the case may be).

Day 15.017: Cold vs hot

This morning we woke up to the coldest weather we've had for some time:

This cold weather had caught us by surprise which is unfortunate, because it also confirmed that the issue with the heating in the kids' bedrooms does seem to be caused by the cold (presumably a pipe that freezes). It explains why the heating only fails when we need it most, but it's little comfort.

As of this evening, we have managed to get it working again, and probably located the approximate section of pipe that is causing the issue - so some progress.

In order to make the most of the cold, I decided to do a little science experiment - with a bit more cold vs hot action - enjoy!

Day 15.016: Secret project #1 revealed

I've had two secret musical projects on the go for some time, one of them just went public and you can find out more here.

Day 15.015: A new coat

It's been quite cold, but no, we have not been shopping for winter-wear. Instead, we had a little snow by the time I went to bed last night:

And a little more by the time I got up this morning (enough to shovel but not enough to cause any issues):

Day 15.014: All dressed up and nowhere to go

Of course, "all dressed up" may mean this if you're in Maine in the winter:

15.013: Exile #2's Sunday Column #380

Exile #2 writes...

At the concert yesterday, the choir directors were lamenting all of the students who had chosen to step away from music during the last couple of years because of the limited opportunities to perform, or to practice together. I, for one, am glad Exile #4 and E5N1 chose to stick it out but I understand the frustrations of those that didn’t. It’s another way in which these strange times will have a lasting impact, for some at least. In any case, it was wonderful to hear two truly talented choirs sing. It was somewhat appropriate, then, that ABBA’s Thank You For The Music came up on our playlist on the car ride home. We may not have been singing with total seriousness but we still belted it out!

Day 15.012: Districts

At around 7:30 this morning I dropped Exile #4 at school in the bitter cold to ride a school bus to the District I Festival.

Late in the afternoon we made the trek ourselves to North Berwick to see the Choir concert for the festival. There were two choirs - Exile #4 was in the Treble Choir - they were both excellent and there was a general feeling of relief that the event was able to take place after so many such events having been canceled over the last two years.

Day 15.011: Cold again

I think I took this the morning after the snowman's demise. but it looked much the same today. After the warm (just above freezing) and windy day that finished him off, it turned cold again and tonight it's bitterly cold once more. 

There's not much in the way of snow in the forecast, but winter is with us for a while.

Day 15.010: Moon over sands

It's been a tough week, but here's the nearly-full moon from late on Saturday afternoon at Fortunes Rocks Beach:

Day 15.009: Sunset at the beach

Did I mention it was cold on the beach on Saturday? Yes, I believe I did. Did I mention it was pretty too? Maybe not, but it was:

Day 15.008: Birds at the beach (cold edition)

We didn't see many birds at the beach on Saturday and who could blame them given the conditions?

I thought the best I might do was the odd passing gull:

But then I spotted a duck diving in the surf and managed to get a half decent photo so I could identify it as a long-tailed duck:

Day 15.007: Snowman update (part two)

It's the second - and final - update on our New Year's Eve snowman I'm afraid, so you should be prepared. This was part one.

A couple of days later, he was still doing well:

We had to remove his hat as it was in danger of being blown away, but people were admiring him as they passed with their dogs etc. - this was on Saturday afternoon:

In the early hours of this morning he was mostly unchanged as we got a fresh coating of snow:

However, the snow turned to rain and there were some amazingly strong winds - strong enough to decapitate him:

and later in the day, to finish the job:

He had a good run - seventeen days of admirable staying power.

Day 15.006: Exile #2's Sunday Column #379

Exile #2 writes...

The thing about being in the north east corner of the east coast of a very large country is that you see the weather coming. Living close to the coast, though, things are not entirely predictable. There is quite often a battle between the cold air on land and the warmer air over the ocean and it can make all the difference where snow is involved. A storm has been approaching and should reach us tonight but in the last twenty-four hours the forecast has swung from no snow, all the way up to six inches, and everywhere in between.

One thing that is certain, however, is that it has not been a good time for our upstairs heating to pack in. I guess we’ll see what the outcome is for both of those things tomorrow!

Current prediction - approximately nothing or more

Day 15.005: Cold - even for Mainers

Today was the kind of day that makes even hardened Mainers think twice about spending time outdoors, a potent mix of cold and rather windy.

The worst of it was over by the time we went for a late afternoon walk at low tide at Fortunes Rocks Beach but it was still bitterly cold. Amazingly, we even managed to persuade one of the teens to come.

Day 15.004: Icicle streams

We've had some very cold sunny days recently, this sometimes leads to impressive icicles as snow on the roof melts and then refreezes before it can drip to the ground. This week, we had these - lets call them - horizontal icicles on the driveway - they looked like little streams of water, but most of the water was ice with just enough liquid water to make them look wet.

Day 15.003: Another puzzle a day

If you're not yet playing Wordle, you should try it - it's like Mastermind but with 5 letter words. Just one puzzle a day and then you too can celebrate your victories or mourn your losses with pictures like this:

Wordle 207 4/6

 

No app to install, no adverts, just one puzzle a day at this website.  Mobile friendly and it will track your stats if you play it on the same browser each day.

Let me know if you try it!