If deep snow has fallen around your house, you might as well
throw caution to the wind and go swimming. Put on your swimming
suit, dive into a snow drift and swim hard — freestyle, backstroke
or even butterfly. More than a few crazy people have done it.
With all the fresh snow we’ve had the past few days in the Puget
Sound region, I thought I could find some fresh videos of the
so-called snow swimming challenge. My search came up empty, but if
anyone knows of any new videos — or if you make a new one yourself
— feel free to share the link.
The gloomy feeling of rainy weather, as experienced by looking
out from the inside of your house, can be defeated with a trip to
the mountains, where all kinds of winter fun await.
Webcam: Longmire at Mount
Rainier, looking southwest from the Administration
Building.
Downhill skiing and snowboarding are popular activities at
Washington’s ski resorts. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are
less-vigorous options, as are sledding and inner-tubing. One of
many useful websites is
“Pacific Northwest Winter Sports.”
If these activities don’t sound like great fun, you can plan a
drive that takes you into wonderful snow conditions and provides an
opportunity to build a snowman or enjoy a snowball fight. Lodges
and visitor centers offer a retreat from the cold. You might make
friends with others who love the winter weather.
Each winter, I look for an opportunity to share amusing photos
and videos of household pets encountering a fluffy white blanket
and playing in the snow.
Guess what. Spring has arrived, and the Puget Sound region did
not experience a heavy snow this past winter. I know that many
people — especially those who dread driving in the ice and snow —
are rejoicing how they managed to escape what they consider an
annual nightmare.
For the skiers among us, the shortage of snow in the mountains
has been heartbreaking. We can all hope this is not the beginning
of the end for our incredible winter sports in Washington
state.
Meanwhile, most of us have friends on the eastern side of the
United States who have no sympathy for the snowless conditions in
the West. They have seen one snowfall after another build up layers
of snow that they must dig through. They received our share of snow
and much more.
In honor of those living in the East and coming through one of
the harshest winters in history, I’m pulling up some amusing images
of snow dogs and snow cats. If you plan on taking your pets out in
the snow get some warm vest for
your pet. For those sick of snow, I hope this can be a humorous
glance at the season in the rearview mirror. For the rest of us, we
can take a moment to consider what we missed.
In the first video, Tiger Productions has put together a nice
compilation of clips of animals playing in the snow, including some
of my favorites. Another video by Official Dogs focuses on the
canines. A new video by Ann Got shows us why a cat won’t be stopped
by a little snow.
Also amusing are some still photos of dogs, cats and other
animals in the snow. Check out:
They say no two snowflakes are alike. And that’s easy to believe
after you’ve seen the extraordinary crystalline structure of a
single snowflake, as captured in images by Russian photographer
Alexey Kljatov.
Alexey has spent a lot of time perfecting his technique of
shooting snowflakes on the balcony of his apartment. He uses just a
simple point-and-shoot digital camera, the Canon Powershot A650,
along with a reversed lens from an old Soviet Zenit film camera. He
captures a series of images of the same snowflake, then combines
them with special software to reduce the random “noise” found in a
single image. He explains his technique on his blog
“The Keys to December.”
Check out Alexey’s Flickr
page for dozens of snowflake images along with other enhanced
photographs. I post a sampling here, with his permission. Other
media outlets also have shown interest. See his list of
publications.
Whether you love or hate the snow, a bit of humor always comes
in handy during the recent weather we’ve been having.
The following are some quotes, jokes and a couple videos I
gleaned from the Internet. Each item lists a source with more funny
stuff. If you have a favorite winter joke, please add it in the
comments section below.
“Don’t knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn’t
start a conversation if it didn’t change once in a while.” — Kin
Hubbard (Quote
Garden)
“There’s one good thing about snow, it makes your lawn look as
nice as your neighbor’s.” — Clyde Moore (Quote Garden)
“A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary
freezing of water.” — Carl Reiner (Quote Garden)
“The trouble with weather forecasting is that it’s right too
often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on
it.” — Patrick Young (Quote Garden)
Of winter’s lifeless world each tree
Now seems a perfect part;
Yet each one holds summer’s secret
Deep down within its heart.
~Charles G. Stater (Quote Garden)
“Snow and adolescence are the only problems that disappear if
you ignore them long enough.” — Earl Wilson (Quote Garden)
“Cats are smarter than dogs. You can’t get eight cats to pull a
sled through snow.” — Jeff Valdez (The Quotations
Page)
“Winter is nature’s way of saying, ‘Up yours.'” — Robert Byrne
(Quote
Garden)
Some definitions:
Winter: The age of shivery and shovelry.
Antarctic: Snowman’s land.
Flaky Person: A man who loves to be outside when it
snows.
It was so cold … that even the kids at the mall were
pulling their pants up.
(Snow and Mud)
Winter Story
My husband and I purchased an old home in Northern New York
State from two elderly sisters. Winter was fast approaching and I
was concerned about the house’s lack of insulation. “If they could
live here all those years, so can we!” my husband confidently
declared.
One November night the temperature plunged to below zero, and we
woke up to find interior walls covered with frost. My husband
called the sisters to ask how they had kept the house warm.
After a rather brief conversation, he hung up. “For the past 30
years,” he muttered, “they’ve gone to Florida for the winter.”
A touch of snow back in November caused me to post an entry
about
“snow dogs,” so whatever snow we get this week deserves a
sequel about “snow cats.”
The two cats in the video player at right seem to catch the
spirit of fresh, clean, cold snow. They paw at the fluff, run about
aimlessly and attack each other. The music seems appropriate
somehow. Just think how thrilling these two would be if they could
use their little paws to form big snowballs. For an example of
that, check out the cartoon linked below as Simon’s Cat.
At the other extreme is a young cat that seems to have no clue
what to do with the snow. Must be a first-time snow
cat.
A
cat named Doughnut seems to have no fear of the snow, but
frustration takes over when he is unable to make it up a steep roof
and into a bedroom window, as he has done routinely so many times
before.
When I woke up this morning, the ground and trees were covered
with snow at my home west of Green Mountain. It was the third time
this year that snow has stuck around more than a few moments.
It doesn’t take much to amuse me today. How about some dogs
playing in the snow, starting with one you might have seen already?
After all, this video has been viewed more than 5.6 million times
since the video was posted at the end of 2007. See video player at
right.
The video was taken near Ward. Colo., in the late 1990s, when it
snowed 54 inches in two days, according to the person who shot the
movie.
Here are some other snow dog videos for your amusement:
An unidentified pod of killer whales was reported yesterday in
the snow near the home of Doug McCutchen and Kari Koske on San Juan
Island.
“Snorkas” on San Juan Island.
(Click to enlarge.)
Photo courtesy of Doug McCutchen
“They’ve been milling slowly in the same place for the last 28
hours now,” they reported to Orca Network. “No vocalizations
or other surface activity.”
Orca Network dubbed them “snorkas” for snow orcas.
I thought this was a nice piece of sculpture work, but I was
wondering how Doug and Kari were able to color the snow black in
exactly the right places. Doug sent me this note:
“We used some old oil that had been kicking around the shop
after changing oil in the car awhile back. Kidding! We simply cut
the black portions out in Photoshop, pasted them into a new window,
adjusted the contrast, and then pasted them back in again. Really
didn’t spend much time on it, as you can tell if you look closely.
We’d made the whales the night before by rolling big snowballs
together then sculpting with a machete. It snowed another 4-6″ that
night, so they’re a little softer than the originals.”
Speaking of killer whale sightings, Orca Network has been
receiving reports of animals in Central and South Puget Sound the
past few days.
The latest report was about 9 a.m. this morning near Kingston.
Because of the weather and difficulty seeing from shore, many of
the reports are coming from ferry crews.
Sightings yesterday included one near Fay Bainbridge State Park
and another from Restoration Point, both on Bainbridge Island.
Later in the day, three groups of orcas were seen traveling down
Colvos Passage between the Kitsap Peninsula and Vashon Island.
I realize that many people are getting sick of snow in the Puget
Sound area as well as other parts of the country. I wanted to take
a moment to celebrate the snow and post a few pictures or videos
that might lighten the mood for those who need a lift.
Unfortunately, most of the locally produced snow videos show
little more than stuck cars and car crashes, which I rarely find
amusing. And I cringe at ski accidents and injuries on snowmobiles,
which are often compiled and promoted as funny.
So here’s a compilation of photos showing what snow can do. Yes,
I’m posting this “Amusing Monday” a day earlier than normal.
Animals are sometimes funny in the snow, but the reactions of
people are more amusing.
OK, I need to show you one car accident.
If you’ve seen enough snowy car accidents, as I have, then watch
how this one turns out.
Seriously, I know that the snow can be a pain. But we don’t
often see anything like this snow we’re getting. While you have a
chance, bundle up warmly and venture out into the world of snow.
Let the joy of childhood overtake you, and enjoy a cup of hot
chocolate for me.
