Today was a gift. Me and my chauffeur, Tom, were flinging some wood (well, I was reading a chick magazine and Tom was flinging the wood) for Popperville and one the way home, we spied this pond on the side of the road. It just looked white to me.
Tom said it looked sparkly, which I didn't really catch because I was miserably failing at the Nano IPOD song changer, so I asked him to turn around. He was kind enough to do it(I am sure it was some sort of self-preservation so I didn't complain about it the rest of the day). He pulled along side, and of course I had to GET OUT in the 9* weather (anything for my art, right--doesn't that sound like a Van Gogh type of statement...no ear chopping here) and took these shots. I wasn't feeling it too deeply. Lovely Kansas City suburb photo. Not much more.
Then Tom suggested I get closer (which of course is an easy suggestion for the one sitting in the car! :)) because the ice looked "bumpy." So I did. Wow. I have never seen ice like it. It is called Ice or Frost Feathers.A type of hoarfrost formed on the windward side of terrestrial objects and on aircraft flying from cold to warm air layers. Also known as frost feathers. (a real definition)
It is a shame that you were not standing there, hands moving into a hypothermic state to see it for yourself. It apparently doens't happen very often. This pond is flat as a pancake, and it looks like a pillow full of feathers was dumped out all over it.
Every "feather" had a solid sort of base like you see at the bottom of it here. All the feathers were diamond or squared shaped. They look like fern palms.
I hope you enjoyed the nature/science lesson about hoarfrost. :) By the way, just for the record I am thankful for public school.
