And this.....was exactly a year ago....

Best in large view I think. Never say never. Our first snow of the season here. About 2 inches but supposedly there's more coming. Thanks for the look and have a great mid week.

Later in the afternoon, the winter weather escalated severly...

at a lake in Finland

ice

Nothing like the weather we are having (well above freezing and rain)

Last winter I was heading out of town and noticed some huge snowdrifts along the highway. So I took the next exit and spent half an hour trying, in vain, to find equally cool snowdrifts along some farm roads. This was the only image that I captured. Moments later, it started to snow really hard, and obliterated the entire landscape

I do miss real winter down here now...

Susan and her dog are taking advantage of the new snow along the Hamilton Rail Trail

Bridal Veil Falls ( on the right) and American Falls (hidden, on the left) bury the city of Niagara Falls under a cloud of frozen mist

So, this morning, I did the unthinkable. Inspired by Nick Ulivieri (and Nick Ulivieri Photography), I got an epiphany to brave the #PolarVortex at Adler Planetarium in #Chiberia at dawn today. It was the most insane 1.5-hour photoshoot I've ever done and won't be doing for a while. Condition so severe, with wind chill -40F/C, my fingers and feet get numbed so decidedly and quickly and some of my camera parts even stopped functioning properly. Luckily no gusty wind nor blizzard were happening, and thanks to many layers surprisingly my body was just fine. So, here is what our beautiful and proud Chicago, in the first-time-in-decades cold weather, looks like (taken about at 6:40AM). #WarmPlacesEnvyUs

A great invention.

I love everything about this photo.

I am not a photographer, I just take photos. Some that turn out, some that don't. This photo is a personal triumph. I love the colors, the hoarfrost and the light.

On the picture:

Me, my brother and our dear cousin, Pirjo.

The picture is taken in Kajaani, northern Finland in the middle of 60's (-64 or -65).

Photo by Oiva Rissanen, Kajaani Finland

Original version: www.flickr.com/photos/trm42/4202351719/

It's been cold for a long period. It would seam like a real winter for a long time. Today the average temperature has been -21C (-5.8F). The lowest was in the morning with a temperature of -26C (-14.8F). Real winter!

Winter is not pure white snow under blue skies and fresh frost here. This is real winter. Like the absence of colours, light and flavour. I am happy that there's not the inevitable slush all around. It is to warm for that, but that won't make it better because global warming seems to be guilty, so that spoils it. Winter sucks.