MY FRIEND Robyn in Wheatland County, Montana snapped this one this morning. Byrdee, one of the herding dogs, is calling in her sheep.
Robyn drives out in her ’79 Ford pickup, puts the feed pellets out, when the sheep hear Byrdee bark they know it’s time to eat.
Jonny snapped this one in Vermont yesterday as I cleared snow off the roof of the construction trailer before we headed for home. Yes, you can bet that aluminum roof was as slippery as it looks.
Here’s one of Jonny digging out the truck.
It snowed for 36 hours. Started just after we got there Thursday night and finished up around the time we left yesterday. The storm had dropped more than 2 feet of snow. I’ll see if I can write up a full report before the week gets away.
Will say here quickly that we finished up the construction season on a high note. The building has windows in it now, and without any of us doing an alley-oop off an icy scaffolding plank. Thus, we declare victory and depart the snowy field.
Adam and Eduardo were there Friday so we had a four-man crew this time. Great camaraderie all around and all the hot coffee and food we could put away.
As winters go, it was balmy camping weather. No more below zero. It doesn’t have to warm up to snow but often it does. Did this time.
The overnight low Friday was 16 degrees Fahrenheit.
Saturday night was so pleasant I never even zipped up my sleeping bag. It was 26F when I turned in and by 5 a.m. it had warmed up to 28.
Okay, will write up the full report when I can. And if you read this space for my infrequent treatment of Phantom matters, I’m going to try to get that on the radar at some point soon, too.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, all.
Tony DePaul, December 18, 2022, Cranston, Rhode Island, USA
I cannot comprehend being out in that. It has been proven time and time again, I’m a cold weather sissy from the south. My hats off to those of you who live in that stuff. It IS pretty, must admit.
It’s all about the wind, really. A sunny day in the 20s, no wind, that’s lovely weather for working outdoors. Today it’s 40-ish, the wind’s ripping along and it’s just plain cold. I changed a tire on Pam’s car, working on fixing a ground problem on my truck… it’s one of those bitter, frozen-knuckle days.
Spot on about the wind. Down here we add in humidity. Was in northern Italy and Vienna for 10 days around Thanksgiving. days were 50 to 40 highs and 20s at night, but it seemed fine to me. No wind, low humidity.
Dry air’s nice on the other end, too. I remember hanging out with Johnny Danger on the Eastern Sierra, the high desert. It might be 103 in the shade but it’s lovely weather for being outdoors. There’s so little water in the air.
Not much water on the ground either, considering how Los Angeles stole it. In the Owens Valley Mr. Mulholland may be slightly less popular than Hitler.
Hey, Tony–
We got more than a foot here in Fort Bennington, at the base of Crotched Mountain. The ducks are loving the snow, but I try to limit their time outdoors to keep their feet from being frostbitten. My across the road neighbour is billeting his bike in the barn this winter…some big ol’ Hog that is probably some kin to the Iron Piggy.
Plenty of room in the back yard if you want to do some outdoor winter camping!
Hi, Linnea. As the crow flies you’re only 50 miles southeast of where we were. Surprising, though, what a difference 1,500 feet of elevation can make. Doesn’t sound like much.
Your ducks need tiny Muck boots. The company could call them Duck Mucks, I won’t even bill them for the idea, no pun intended.
My feet were wet this weekend. Jonny bought a pair of Arctic Pro Mucks, used them for the first time this weekend and said they did a good job. Adam had a pair of Wetland Mucks. My friend Robyn in Montana wears Chore Mucks. I think I’m the only one I know still walking around in leather boots when the snow’s knee deep.
Thanks for the snow vistas. It’s gotten to the point in Baltimore where, instead of snow, we have ice storms. I’ll take snow over that any day.
Very true, Stephen. Snow just slows things down, which isn’t always a bad thing.
-24 here this morning,supposed to go way colder this week.Only 6″ of snow.
You guys are getting lots done……Bob
Thanks, Bob. With not much cover yet for snow sledding I’ll bet you’re enjoying quality time in the shop. Keep the wood five burning!
Thanks for these pics, Tony. Now I know what 36 hours of snow looks like and I don’t want to be anywhere near it. That dusting we had in R.I. the other day is enough for me for the season.
We never know what to expect so close to the ocean. Could get nothing at all one winter, 100 inches the next. I never had a reason to track Vermont winters until now but they must be more consistent, I would think. Thanks for reading, Ellie.
It’s good that the snow started AFTER you got there, not WHEN you were getting to there.
Very much so, Ed. And the only reason we were able to get out was that Adam had brought up a plow on his truck. He cleared away everything that had fallen in the first 24 hours, then he and Eduardo headed home. Another ten inches or so fell the night after they left, so that was doable. We had to drive less than a quarter mile to make it out to the first town road that had been plowed.
The town plow had left a huge berm blocking access to the gravel road, though. Jonny built up speed and crashed through. I said, uh, that might have been hard on your radiator, you might want to keep an eye on the coolant temp for a while. 🙂
No damage, though. The snow was pretty light. If the berm had been frozen it would have been another story.
Thanks for reading the scribble, Ed.
Tony,
The tent inside the shelter picture brings back memories. I’ve a similar one taken around 1979 (I think) in the shelter on Mt Washington. Snow and low temperatures were part of what made winter camping fun – but we were 30 years old then – wouldn’t even think of doing what you’re doing now.
Dennis
Hi, Dennis. Thanks for reading.
I’d like to see Mt. Washington one of these years. It’s a gap in my New England education.
Thirty-six years in RI and haven’t been to Block Island, either!
Seventy years and I’ve never been on the Block either.
I am feeling a boat trip to that area next summer. We did Long Island this year. Maybe visit Little Rhody, pick you up and get to the Block before we all fall down.
Hey! Haven’t heard from you in forever, Bob. Glad to hear you’re still out there sailing the seven seas!
I think our last talk was about you coming for my K 1200 GT (which I still have and still do not need). And then there was that intermission where you stared life in the face and didn’t blink. I still read everything you post and love every second of it!
Ha! Thanks, Bob. My memory is sketchy on the Beemer bike.
Register it! Ride it!
Too
Much
Snow.
Hey, Duane. Turns out we were only about 60 miles north of the heavy snow line. On the ride back it was surprising to see how little they got in southern New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts. And by the time we got home to RI there was nothing at all.