...and then this happened.

[WilliamPitt]

Apropos of absolutely nothing political, but we got smacked with an ice storm all day today, and this happened right outside my door. I thought posting it might help anyone in need of a dose of beauty. I sure as hell needed it. Hope you like.

[stone space]

1. Beautiful! (nt)

[rhett o rick]

2. k & r. Thanks for posting. nm

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Beauty doses are especially important these days, and this is huge! Thank you n/t

[Terra Alta]

4. it is beautiful.

Thanks for sharing!

[mnhtnbb]

5. Very pretty!

Hope the ice storm stops short of leaving you without power!

[WilliamPitt]

8. We have a generator

and the furnace is running on wood. Covered and covered.

[mnhtnbb]

10. LOL. Then it should get you in the mood for

Mr. Scorpio's thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018697534

[WilliamPitt]

12. LOL

[pacalo]

6. That is a gorgeous sight.

[Agony]

7. Check!

Nice, thanks…

[dixiegrrrrl]

9. I never saw, so never understood how ice forms like that

or exactly what ice storms were about, living a somewhat sheltered life in the temperate zone of Puget Sound.

Until, last winter down here, in the South, for god's sakes, the Polar Vortex laughed at my puny idea of living in a Semi-tropical zone,
and iced over my orange trees.
I will admit, they looked rather nice, bright green leaves and dark branches showing thru clear layers of ice.

We may re-plant, someday.

[WilliamPitt]

11. Very pretty, very perilous.

My wife left for work at 1pm, got about a mile down the road, got sideways going 5 mph, went NOPE, called work and said NOPE OFFICIALLY, turned, and returned home again.

Honest to God, I'll take blizzard after blizzard over this November/December and March "Maybe" weather, when it can't decide if it wants to rain, snow or freeze, so it does all three at the same damn time. Snow is predictable and manageable. This ice pudding is just goddam dangerous. Ten degrees colder and it will square itself away.

[Blanks]

24. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. We had lots of snow...

but when I arrived in Kansas in 1983, I experienced my first ice storm.

I swear, there was 6 inches of ice on the power lines and the pine tree next to our driveway. All through the day and night I heard snapping noises and the next day there were branches down all over town. The weight of the ice overwhelmed the branches and of course there were power outages, but it was really kind of cool.

I was a little surprised that I had never heard of such a thing, but it happens fairly frequently in some places.

[suffragette]

25. Not as common in the NW, but I've seen it happen in Bellingham. We called them 'Silver Thaw' back

In the day.
Beautiful, but hazardous.

[grasswire]

26. yep, same in Portland

Silver thaw.

[suffragette]

28. Yes, silver thaw and sleet. Don't hear sleet used nearly as often anymore

to describe icy rain.
To me, silver thaw perfectly describes the glistening beauty of the landscape enveloped in ice. Best appreciated from inside, though, or walking with small steps.
Cars just slide right into the ditch without even making it out go the driveway.

[petronius]

13. Absolutely gorgeous, thanks for posting!

We'll be making our annual Eastward pilgrimage in a week or so, and I'm really hoping for at least a couple of days like that...

[mindwalker_i]

14. That picture makes me want to light it up with a bunch of lasers

That would be cool

[Siwsan]

15. My neighbor and I were just talking about the ice storm that hit us, last December 22nd

And left us without power for a week. I was so freaked, I couldn't bring my self to take any photos, and now I regret it because, apparently, it was beautiful.

[hopemountain]

16. my dad had gorgeous photos

(b/white) of a new york state ice storm in the 40's. hmmm. i'm going to see if i can find them.

[sabrina 1]

17. Same thing outside our door. It's beautiful but treacherous for anyone driving.

'A Terrible Beauty'

[matt819]

18. Will, you're an inspiration

I looked out my New England door this morning at the same ice storm and just wanted to crawl back into bed and pretty much pretend that outside didn't exist. Instead, you found beauty. What a guy!

[appalachiablue]

19. The wonder and beauty of nature. So nourishing for the soul. Thanks for posting & take care.

[zeemike]

20. Nature is always beautiful, even when it is inconvenient.

And in fact nature created beauty and we have been trying to capture it.

[DinahMoeHum]

21. Too bad the weather hasn't cleared out. . .

. . .because with a clear sky and a full moon. . .well. . .I'll leave that to your imagination.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

22. HOLY MOTHER MARY!

I was cringing, hoping this thread wouldn't bring more bad news. Instead, upon opening, I felt an immediate joy.

[malaise]

23. It's amazing how the simplest things are the

most beautiful - magnificent - thanks

[yuiyoshida]

27. I am suddenly

craving a popcycle. No...really!

[adirondacker]

29. Just don't throw any key parties!...

Nice Pic BTW!

[Derek V]

30. Strange, isn't it?

The harshest weather to experience is frequently the loveliest to behold.

[Warpy]

31. Ice storms are drop dead gorgeous for about 10 minutes when the sun comes out

and then you'd better take cover.

Thanks for a beautiful reminder of how wonderful they can be.