Sparkly stuff

On moist and cold-but-not-so-cold days, snow falls as dendritic flakes, the kind that people cut out of paper that is folded into sixths. It immediately begins metamorphosing into unpretty, but uniform, regular crystals that resemble sand. It happens quickly--within a few hours to a few days. This is the stuff I studied for four years.

Before it transforms, the dendritic flakes are positively magical, sparkling like pixie dust. They play with even the smallest glimmers of light, tossing them about and making them dance. They sit on top of the snow on the ground, and in the darkness, by my headlamp, they throw back light and sparkle like a second night sky, mirroring the real sky above.

In other news, here are photos I took of the moon while walking to our lab yesterday. It's not a bad "commute".





Also, also: An 83 mph wind gust was recorded during the wind storm that knocked out our power. When I reported average wind speeds of 55 mph to my colleagues in Tok, they gave me a blank look. 55 mph? Psh. That ain't nothing, for Tok.

Happy Thanksgiving to all nine of my loyal readers!