Holy Moley, look at the temps for the upcoming week! Winter seems to be over. What a warm winter season we've had with very little snow, but lots of rain!
"Pothole season is open. Be sure to check the rule book for regulations on your street!" From "Crown of Maine - My Aroostook."
Aughhh...the frost heave signs are up and the roads are bumpy, raggedy, and filled with holes that we try to avoid as we drive from hither to yon in Maine!
Sabattus, Maine and surrounding areas experienced a mild 2.2 magnitude earthquake. Some people theorized that the cause of the quake may have been from the ice age rebound that Maine is still going through from when the ice sheet covered Maine 12,000 years ago. I know that UMaine Machias students have been doing long-term studies on this rebound as Maine was depressed by so much ice and is "bouncing back" over time. Check out this great pdf of Earthquakes in Maine by the Maine Geologic Survey.
We did not feel it here in Bowdoin. But, I queried my team teachers and students about their experience with it and they responded: "I thought my boiler had blown up", "I thought a large tree had fallen down", "I felt a rumble", "First, it sounded like a train rumbling through, then later an aftershock shook the house again."
Boiling water thrown into -10°F air - an example of the Mpemba effect where hot water can freeze faster than cold water.
Well, it was a frozen soap bubble morning with the temperature dropping down to -10F. I photographed soap bubbles from a temp. of -6F to +13F. I started off using regular bubble wand soap and it created very fragile bubbles. Then, I added some molasses ( I didn't have any corn syrup), and it wasn't much better. Next time, I'll make the proper recipe of 1/4 C. Dawn detergent, 3/4 C. water, 2 TBSP corn syrup or glycerine.
I did auto focus and then switched to manual focus, but I just couldn't get enough depth of field. I also need to use a smaller straw as my silicone straw is too wide. I finally had to use the bubble wand to blow single bubbles. The crystals take longer to form as the air warms up. I used the smooth sided cup of a lens cap to pour the bubble liquid into and to blow the bubbles onto.
More snow during the first half of the day, so school is closed. We are in the 2"-5" range for some heavier, wet snow.
Wowee...there are some incredible animators out in the art world. This animation knocks my socks off! It shows the life cycle of flowers both above ground and below ground. Check out the Botanical Animation "Story of Flowers".
NOTE: Annoyingly, the link opens up at the end of the video. As soon as the link opens in YouTube, move the scroll button all the way to the left and click on "Play" to start the video.
The company is AMKK. Directed by: Azuma Makoto. Illustration by: Katie Scott. Animation by: James Paulley. Visual Supervisor: Shunsuke Shiinoki. Project Management by: Eri Narita.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EST
FRIDAY...
* WHAT...Mixed precipitation.
Additional snow accumulations of up
to 3 inches in the foothills and less than an inch south for a
storm total of 4 to 6 inches, and ice accumulations of up to
three to four tenths of an inch.
* WHERE...Portions of central, northern and southern New
Hampshire and south central and southwest Maine.
* WHEN...Until 10 PM EST Friday.
* IMPACTS...Isolated power outages possible due to the weighted
branches. Travel will be hazardous. The hazardous conditions
could impact the commutes.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Light freezing rain or freezing drizzle.
This will continue for much of the night into Friday morning.
Ice accumulation will be the primary hazard through Friday
morning. Ice will make roads, sidewalks, and elevated surfaces
very slick.
* PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Winter Weather Advisory means that periods of snow...sleet...or
freezing rain will cause travel difficulties. Be prepared for
slippery roads and limited visibilities...and use caution while
driving.
We got 2.5 inches of snow from a storm that just didn't amount to much today. But, we had a snow day nonetheless, and I am glad. It was a tricky storm to predict. Tomorrow, we have another snow day as we are set to get freezing rain starting at around 2am, and going all through the day on Friday.
