And One More...Ice, Anyone
 

I was browsing some pictures on my HD, and found this one from the ice storm we had here last February. Since I posted the picture in 3D of my driveway, I thought this would make a nice contrast. Exact same POV here in the first pic; the second shows the long shot down my street. We were lucky...did not lose power. Others, including the friends who played refugee in our basement, had no power for up to two weeks.

I know there are some on the East Coast who are still getting their lives back together after a similar nasty event, and if any of you are looking at these, I sympathize totally. When I was out cutting all this crap up over the course of the next two weeks, I marvelled at just how much damage nature can do with very little effort...just amazing.

The wildest thing was standing outside, listening to the constant cracking and breaking of tree branches; hell, of entire trees. It went on for about two days. It was so silent out there, and then the wind would blow gently, the ice would begin crackling like bacon, until finally a great crunch/crack would be heard, and then the sound of a massive amount of something falling to the earth in a whoosh and a crash. Did I mention it was truly amazing?

...and here's the second shot.

wow
 

That's amazin'. I haven't seen anything but frost around here lately, but last year we had a big freeze just like you described, complete with the dead silence, but without any wind. It's even eerier (is that a word?) when you live in a moderately forested area and this happens.

No sound at all, because even the local people and animals are holed up whereever it's warm, so not so much as a car driving by (and I live on Main Street). Then KRAK! TH'BOOM!... My house got hit twice by large branches in the middle of the AM hours. Scared the bejeezus outta my girlfriend, but I thought it was cool as hell...

...and this is what it looks like around here:

http://jeni.gaveup.org/forann/MVC-043S.JPG

or, if you will...

http://jeni.gaveup.org/forann/MVC-022S.JPG

but that's water, not snow. i live in santa cruz, right by the beach.

Looks a lot more inviting on your end of the country. FWIW, yesterday was the first anniversary of the ice storm here in KC. It was not remembered fondly.

Nice views! What do you guys pay in rent?

800 a month, including utilities. we can walk to the boardwalk. BUT the place we live in is pretty shitty, overall. we are seriously considering (and probably will end up) breaking our lease. if an inspector were to come in here he'd have a heyday. our landlords are seriously some of the worst landlords ever. NICE people, but fucking monkeys when it comes to managing renters. awful. and i hope this place burns to the ground after we've gotten all of our things out. they really need to re-start from the bottom up.