Air inversion

People are allowed to burn wood debris during certain periods of the year. It’s interesting to see how the smoke from burning illustrates air inversion layers in which a layer of warm air (an inversion layer) lies over a layer of cool air.

This photo is part of the Weekly Top Shot hosted by Madge at The View from Right Here. To see other Top Shot photos, click below:

The Strait

The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a busy shipping channel. Incoming ships on the U.S. side of the Strait will slow down at Port Angeles long enough to pick up a local pilot and then continue on to Puget Sound. Local pilots are required for ships to navigate through our waterways and transfers are quick and sometimes dangerous in rough seas.

The ship above is the Hanjin Madrid. It is of German registry and was destined to Seattle at just under 24 knots when I snapped this shot. I was able to find lots of interesting shipping details about this and other incoming and outgoing ships at this website that posts virtually real time information about shipping in waterways around the world. Victoria, on Vancouver Island, B.C. is in the background of this shot.

Snow play

I took these photos on Thursday, our third day of snowfall. By midday yesterday, Friday, the temperature began to slowly rise and it was around 40F by sunset. Winds from the south initially brought heavy rains and rainfall was predicted overnight with flood watches and advisories in regions all over Washington state. For the next few days I’ll continue to post photos that I took of the snow and try to include some weather updates.

The trails at Dungeness Recreation Area showed evidence of skiers and snow shoers who were out enjoying a rare opportunity to play in snow at sea level.

Chord, the Wonder Dog, puts playing in snow up at the top of his favorites list and can barely wait to get out the door once he sees snow. He tolerates the girly jacket which means there’s less of him that needs drying off when we get home.

Snowbound

Yesterday was our third consecutive day of snow. We’ve limited our travels to walks in the Dungeness Recreation Area; it snows infrequently enough here that we’re a little leery of other drivers. It stopped snowing long enough yesterday for me to finally pull out my camera.

It’s hard to estimate just how much snow has fallen. Some areas have deeper drifts from wind but enough has fallen that there’s even plenty in forested areas. It’s still light and powdery; I’m guessing there’s at least four to six inches. I’ll post more snow pictures over the next couple of days. In the meantime, for those of you watching the white stuff come down: do stay warm!

The Cascades

Like Mount Baker, posted here on Thursday, the other mountains in the Cascades are often nestled under overcast. They are a beautiful and dramatic chain with sharp ridges. It’s always nice to see them. This is a view from the beach at the end of Sequim-Dungeness Road.

Today I’m remembering Martin Luther King, Jr. on what would have been his 82nd birthday. He was assassinated at age 39. I respect the courage of people involved in civil and human rights struggles. Among many other things, I’m reminded to never take voting for granted.