Bitter, Sweet

Welcome back!

Bitter: this is not a political blog, but there are good people in Minnesota and elsewhere in the US that I’m related to, or I worked with for years. I just hope y’all are safe.

Sweet: this is my last blog before heading to Vietnam again. This year, in addition to visiting my son and daughter-in-law, I’ll be greeting my new grandson for the first time. I hope I make a good impression, lol…wish me luck! :)

Bitter,Sweet: January was an intense month weather-wise. We had another blizzard, and for the first time in my life I took the camera out in -40 weather. Then the temperatures moderated, swung back to a thaw, and gave us several days of frost and fog.

Blizzard, round 2

The blowing snow seemed like a repeat of the previous month, but I was better prepared and was able to spend more time immersed in it.

Since photography is often about removing elements you don’t want, fog and blowing snow can really help with removing clutter:

Though it may seem repetitive, I was able to revisit a spot I took a shot from last time. During the previous blizzard I didn’t notice a small fence behind the bush, so I was thankful for a chance to correct this by shifting over slightly. Plus, I think the clouds line up in a more appealing way:

I continued driving around the edges of the city and worked my way out to the farmland as the sun began to set. I have to say, when you pull over to the side of the road and wade through a ditch filled hip-deep with snow, and are standing on the edge of a field looking lost, everyone stops to see if you’re okay. Maybe I project a certain madness :) But really it’s heartwarming to know that people are looking out for each other. I had a farmer drive over in his tractor as he was clearing his driveway about 1/2 km away, just to let me know he was home if I needed anything. At first I felt a little bad interrupting him, but he seemed to enjoy the opportunity to chat.

Anyway, the blowing snow scoured the open fields, and really made the sun dogs glow:

With the long lens, zooming in on the right “dog”, I was able to get a shot I call “Anatomy of a Sun Dog”:

Bitter cold -40!

Each winter my siblings and SO-blings rent a cabin, hoping to ski and enjoy good company and food. Not much skiing this time, as it was our coldest trip yet, with highs around -25C, which we still braved to visit Pinawa Dam. You can see the steam from the river as it gushes up from under the dam ruins:

That night we had a low of -40C (raw temperature, never mind the wind). Except for one ridiculous night winter camping over 20 years ago around Duluth, MN, this was the coldest I’ve ever been out for an extended period. I have to hand it to the camera, it worked flawlessly, better than my actual fingers. But still, with the right clothing I was able to be out in it for over an hour, never mind the extra time driving in the frigid car.

Amusing car notes: the car wasn’t eager to move, I had to rev to overcome the stiff grease in the transmission and wheels. Also, the tires were so cold they were flat where they rested all night, and didn’t smooth out until I’d been driving, slowly, for several minutes.

Anyway, I decided to return to Pinawa Dam, to bask in the humidity around the river and old dam ruins. Just as the sun was rising I caught this shot, presented in black and white because, between the river mist and general haze, the colours were extremely muted:

By this point I’d been out for an hour, my hands and feet were saying “no, not one more minute”, but as I retreated, I had to pause to catch the backside of the dam as the sun rose, I just like the lines: