Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Icy Obstacle Course & Posts of the Week

In early February, we had some very mild weather. That warm patch caused the creek near Frank's place to flood as it occasionally does through almost any season. The previous weeks had been typically cold so when the creek swept over its banks and onto the wooded areas and walking paths, it brought with it great chunks of ice.

ice block pileup
Most of these giant ice cubes settled along the shoreline - like this but some of it obstructed my usual pathway.




sunny side of the path
This is what the path looks like in summer. It can be difficult to navigate in winter because these paths are never cleared of snow. The snow, melt, freeze process can make walking quite precarious.





ice blocks Benny
But add giant ice cubes and a light dusting of snow to the icy path, and walking becomes a lot more difficult. Benny doesn't seem to be too bothered by it though.




ice blocks2
Some landed on top of one another.




ice blocks
These are actually rather small compared to some I've seen in the past. They're also fewer and more spaced out than other times. Four years ago, some of the ice blocks were piled about four feet high.




iceblocks and boot
Still, there was some heft to these.




ice blocks dam
And some places were totally impassable.





icy dam
You might remember this spot from late last summer though it looks a bit colder right now. 




ice block negotiation
A few days after this photo was taken, it snowed rather heavily. This made it easier to get around because the snow raised the ground level to meet and even surpass the height of the ice blocks. Much of that has since melted and walking is precarious once again. This mother is hanging onto her child though I'm uncertain whether it's to keep him upright or her own self.

As the weather warms, these ice chunks will reduce in size. Until then walking these paths is more like navigating an obstacle course.

And now, without further delay, here are the Posts of the Week. The icon below is yours for the taking if if your blog post is named as a POTW.




FUNNY

Dear Technical Support
by BoxerMama
at Boxer Bootcamp

Overheard....
by Ursula
at Friko's World

***

A GOOD READ

Black or African American
by Anita
at Beyond the Diapers and Spills

Triggers
by Joe
at Cranky Old Man

Lessons From a Squirrel
by Leah
at The Goat's Lunch Pail

***

CLEVER THINKING

Making the Best of What You Have
by Janie
at That Janie Girl

***

PHINE PHOTOGRAPHY

Red Umbrella
by Daryl
at Through My Eyes

Psst... Take a Look at This
by Daniel
at The Pixel Collective

Graylag Goose
by Bob
at Birds and Nature in the Forest of Dean

Roadrunner Wrap-up
by Theresa
at The Run*A*Round Ranch Report

Stepping Into A Magical Realm
by Tammie Lee
at Spirit Helpers


Please drop by their blogs for a visit and leave a kind comment if you have the time. Also, please feel free to add your own choices (for any blog except this one) for a specific blog post in the comments section below, where others can see them.

Thank you

51 comments:

Pierre BOYER said...

Great walk through ice cubes !
Best regards from France,

Pierre

Unknown said...

Hilary: I am amazed at the appearance of that ice as boulders! Great shots and congratulations to the POTW winners. Will be making rounds! :)

ADRIAN said...

That is amazing.....I miss proper winter.

Andy said...

After that bout of wet snow (then the freeze) it's been a bad winter for walking.

messymimi said...

A lovely walk from the comfort of my own kitchen!

Benny's sure-footedness is fun to watch, i'm sure.

Anonymous said...

WOW...that really portrays how frigid your winters must be!

Country Girl said...

Those cubes are massive. We have a snow day today although it's not doing much now. Supposed to change, though, and if it does, it will be the only significant snowfall we've had all winter. Crazy weather.

Brian Miller said...

congrats to the posts of the week...

how cool on the ice cubes...they are huge...and we are getting snow here today!!!!! woohoo!

Daryl said...

okay first, thank you for liking my 'red umbrella' shot its part of a series i am shooting called 'under the canopy'

second ... where the heck do those ice blocks come from, they sure arent falling from the skies or trees ... eh?

Leave It To Davis said...

Wow, that walking path is unrecognizable as the same! What a difference in winter and summer you have. Our grass just turns brown and it's a bit colder, but you can still recognize the surroundings. I believe I would be disoriented and get lost! lol I admire you for being able to find your way home.

DJan said...

I love the contrasting pictures of the same place. hard to believe that is the same path! Now I'm off to visit a couple POTWs. :-)

Kat said...

I am pretty well over winter right now so it is your summer photo that I am really drawn to right now. ;) Still those ice chunks are something, aren't they? We get huge ice bergs at the lake that are pushed up onto the sand. It is something to see.

Off to visit the POTW! :)

Red said...

Ya gotta be a risk taker to take this path. The little guy is okay because when he falls down nothing gets hurt.
Super posts of the week again. It will keep me busy tonight.

Anonymous said...

Love those huge ice slabs!

I wear spiky soles all winter in order not to slip.

Tammie Lee said...

those are huge ice cubes! whoa!

thank you for sharing all these wonderful posts and including me in the mix!

Gail Dixon said...

My goodness! What enormous ice blocks. I'm sure you are chomping at the bit for spring to arrive. Makes me cold just looking at it. Congrats to the POTW winners! Two of my faves won! Yay!

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

It is interesting to see what other folks have as winter. Here in the city in the desert, I have never seen anything like your ice blocks. It's fascinating to me. THanks for sharing.
And I've visited some of the POW thusfar and you're always so good to send me to new and interesting blogs.
Oma Linda

Bob Bushell said...

Wowee, what ice do you get there, I wouldn't have the nerve to go out. Lovely I must say. Thanks for putting my photos Hilary.

Out on the prairie said...

One year I was met with huge ice chunks coming up on the land while hiking,and always waited to see it again. It was amazing to watch,pieces the size of cars almost heaving over the bank.

Maggie May said...

The ice cubes make a very good picture. They're fascinating as we never see anything like this here.
Maggie x

Nuts in May

Barbara said...

I love getting to experience winter in Canada without getting too cold! Congrats to the POTWs - I actually have a few minutes this morning and I'm off to read...

Rosaria Williams said...

I'm holding my breath just looking at the photos. Hardy souls, all of you who live in such harsh conditions. But then, this is how we moved about and colonized the world, one challenge at a time.

Giga said...

Bryły lody ciekawie wyglądaja na bardzo ładnych zdjeciach. Przysypane śniegiem mogą być jednak niebezpieczne przy chodzeniu. Pozdrawiam.
Solid ice interesting look very nice pictures. Covered with snow, but can be dangerous when walking. Yours.

Leah J. Utas said...

Those ice cubes are magnificent.

Thanks for the POTW. The squirrel says he is beside himself.

joeh said...

POTW!! I am honored...thank you!

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

What a difference there is between the summer and winter photographs of that path! You couldn't even rightly call it a "path" in winter.

Friko said...

Thank you for POTW, Hilary. It is such a slight post, I am quite surprised that you were kind enough to honour it.

You lumps of ice are amazing. Your average English chap (my B. for instance) thinks a bit of frost on the grass is something to get breathlessly excited over. He wouldn’t survive a Canadian winter.

Cloudia said...

Yeah! Bob's Greylag Goose was AWESOME!
And Friko is our wise woman.
I love this post, including my gratitude in not having to walk on ice anymore. I'm not as agile as Benny (never was :)

ALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
~ > < } } ( ° > <3
> < } } ( ° >

Dan said...

Thanks for the recognition, Ms. Smitten.

Water in all its forms is both beautiful and treacherous.

Benny has an advantage, he's got claws and doesn't have as far to fall should it occur. :))

Ruth Hiebert said...

Some of those chunks look quite large.I know that I would not want to walk there among them.

stephen Hayes said...

Love your icescapes, and I look forward to checking out the blogs on your list.

Liz Mays said...

I'm not sure I've ever seen such thick chunks of ice outside of a glacier before. This is pretty neat!

Anita said...

I was like a wide-eyed child looking at your photos! I also linked back to the previous posts that you refered to. I've seen photos of massive ice blocks on TV in the Alaska area, but have never seen anything like it in the rest of the U.S. - photos or in person. How fascinating that must be to take a walk and there they are; although you and Frank are used to them/it. :)

Also, "Thank You" for the POTW recognition! A few comments from new readers were in my inbox this morning which led me back to you. It's always fun to meet new people; who also left interesting and heartfelt comments.

Mimi said...

Hilary, thank you for taking us on this lovely, icy walk (without the precariousness, in our case!).
It looks nearly like a quarry in places!
Beautiful photos,as always.
Now I'm off to check out some potw.

Kerry said...

Wow, those are some big slabs of ice. It's fun to see your favorite haunts in different seasons; you always find something wonderful to focus on.

TexWisGirl said...

thank you, dear hilary! :)

and WOW those ice chunks are dangerous looking! go, benny, go!

SandyCarlson said...

Those ice blocks are really something. They look like they were intentionally placed.

It's amazing what a little glazing will do to a walk. Your photos are great.

ellen abbott said...

Your own mini glaciation.

Lynne with an e said...

OOf! Like giant icy gameboard pieces. I would be a drivelling snivelling mass of wah! if confronted with such perils in my path. Our steep driveway is sometimes more of a challenge than I can face. Thank you for putting things into perspective for me.

Reena said...

Not sure that I have ever sen such ice chunks! And hoping I don't!

Dave said...

Wow Hilary, those are large lumps of ice. Another bloger I read, Helma fron Holand, also showed ice like this on her blog. Must have been a lot of force to break this up - Dave

Robin said...

I don't relate, but am amazed by the ice blocks. Incredible how a simple path can change so much from summer to winter. I'm impressed that you venture out on the path - with camera. Now that I do relate to - always looking for a new angle to shoot a subject.

Glo said...

Gosh, that path looks treacherous! I've never seen ice blocks like that caused by a flooded river so found your photos fascinating. Congrats to POTW and I'll enjoy checking them out.

Laura said...

wow Hilary, I've only ever seen big hunks of ice like that on lake Erie, near where my husband grew up... I so love seeing different parts of the world on my computer screen... though traveling might be a little more fun:-)

Russell said...

I missed your post about Kingston - very, very nice. Looks like you and Frank had a nice day. Most interesting town.

And the images of the ice blocks, etc. are very interesting, too.

Down here in the Midwest part of the states, we are being told all our snow will be gone within a few days. That is hard to believe as we have quite a bit of it right now.

But I guess it IS March, so ....

Always enjoy stopping by. Take care.

Wendy said...

Ha - I thought they were rocks at first! Must be hard to navigate those chunks of ice. Unless you hop from one to another. LOL!

That mother and her child almost look like winter cardinals with their stunning red jackets. I don't think Mama will lose sight of her little one if he/she decided to dash off through the trees.

I clicked back and was fascinated all over again by your salmon pictures.
Is it spring yet? Will the ice melt soon???
Hugs
p.s. - people still walk on the ice outside my window. I wonder that they don't worry about breaking through. It's been hovering at the freezing mark this whole week.

Crabby McSlacker said...

Wow, beautiful and weird! Strangely enough, we don't have to navigate past massive chunks of ice when strolling around in San Diego.

And if my blog ever needs a "giant ice cubes" label, I'm thinking I'll have to add a "giant mojito" label right about the same time.

Betty Manousos said...

wow, those are some big ice chunks!

it was interesting to see that walking path...how much it can change from summer to winter.

i thoroughly enjoyed your post/photos.

big hugs~

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

I'd forgotten about those huge ice blocks 4 years ago! As impressive as they were, I prefer the lesser damage of the smaller ice blocks.
No doubt these POTW will provide great reading this weekend. :)

lime said...

wow! those ice chunks are really interesting individually and together in a pile. i've never seen that before so i enjoyed this series.

Teri said...

I have a submission for your post of the week. Loved this one! http://fearlessnesting.blogspot.com/2013/03/new-england-baked-beans-sacred-ritual.html