Archives for: "December 2009"
Not the Worst Winter Ever
December 29th, 2009The winter of 2009/10 is still quite young, and no one knows what it holds. But at this early date there is one thing I can say for sure - when it comes to snow crystal photos, it won't be the worst winter ever. I don't feel like digging into my… more »
New Review On Bookends, a Booklist Blog
December 29th, 2009Yesterday, a new review of The Story of Snow appeared on Bookends, a Booklist blog. Here’s an excerpt: “They take a rather technical subject and make it “crystal” clear for really young readers and still retain a tangible sense of wonder. This is a… more »
Ice of Hearts
December 28th, 2009Back when I lived in Boulder CO, I worked with Charles Knight on developing a new way to grow ice crystals for experimental study. I knew that the problem with most methods was twofold: there were too many crystals too close together to be able to learn… more »
Snow Crystals!
December 27th, 2009About the time I was typing “It’s snowing like mad” last night, it stopped snowing. A feeble mid winter sun greeted us early this morning, and then the clouds rolled in and brought an exceedingly light snow. Come evening, barely half an inch of fresh… more »
Winston - Salem Journal and Chicago Tribune Reviews
December 27th, 2009Today’s Winston-Salem Journal has a nice article about books to read on snowy days – and The Story of Snow is one of them. You can read the whole review, Snow Days Call For Snowy Pages here –… more »
Hoar in a Hole
December 26th, 2009A hole in the ground is a good place to look for large hoar crystals. Next to some rice paddies, just uphill from the tubs, lies a few small holes in the cement roadway. From eye level, the white tinge of hoar frost just inside the lip is easily… more »
Oddly Glazed Bathtub
December 26th, 2009I often see curious ice patterns on the surface of frozen water. On Christmas morning, I saw this strange pattern on one of the farmer's outdoor bathtubs. The foreground region looks a little like terraced rice fields on both sides of a mountain pass,… more »
Reflections off Falling Crystals
December 26th, 2009On my morning icespotting trip the other day (12/23), I caught a glimpse of an unusual sight - a sun pillar. I thought I saw one once last winter, but this one was unmistakable. It seemed more striking even than the one in Robert Greenler's book… more »
It Came Out of the Sky
December 26th, 2009Our first snowfall this season came overnight with a howling westerly, but left just a light dusting. Only certain surfaces with a wide view of the sky were cool enough to preserve the snow. The only place in our yard was the roof of our car, which I've… more »
Two Faces of Water
December 19th, 2009Around midnight, a gentle snow began to fall. It continues to come down, but the air temperature is still hovering right at the freezing point. Throughout the night I’d wake up and peek out the window to see snow falling onto wet streets – it was just a… more »
