Spring/Winter...Here/There...Take Your Pick.

As I work I glance out the window and the seasons seem to change with every look.
When the skies darken, I have a harder time looking away than when the skies are a sunny blue.
Southern California living for over 40 years delivered more than my share of blue skies.
Storm clouds were a reason to gawk!
And gawk I have, in Dallas and Houston where dark skies might bring downpours, lightening and thunder, and from time to time, a funnel cloud warning to heed.
Here in Salt Lake dark clouds rarely bring as much drama.
But I still secretly hope for a bit of a weather show.

Yesterday I finished up my work around three.
Bernie was finished with his work assignments as well.
We decided to hit the road and go west to explore an area where he had never ventured before.
We skirted the edge of the Great Salt Lake, chatting about this and that as the sky played games with clouds and sunshine.
When a green cloud appeared ahead of us we took special notice.
As it turns out, a green cloud sometimes brings a funnel cloud.
A green wall of clouds definitely means a tornado is in the works.
We had seen such things on weather shows and once on a sunny day in the San Jose California area we saw such a green wall cloud and remarked that it surely wasn't the same kind of green wall cloud that we had seen on weather shows.
That night on the news we learned that a tornado had indeed speared out the sky and taken out a bit of a local neighborhood.
Well then.
That got our attention.
Later we noted in Texas that the green cloud was a signal that a tornado was a-brewing.

I won't keep you in suspense.
No funnel cloud disturbed our travels this time although there were plenty of droopy cloud bits that looked like they were practicing tornado formation skills.

Salt Lake does have tornadoes.
One year one raced up one of the downtown main streets and blasted out an ancient grove of trees that stood aside the state capital.

No worries for us though.
The clouds were just interesting to watch form and reform over and over again.

The Salt Lake was an amazing turquoise color that reminded me of Lake Louise a bit.

Also stirred memories of lakes that we saw in Switzerland.

So funny to think how long we flew to see such sights in Switzerland and now we can take a 30 minute drive or less and see scenes of equal beauty.

Places on the lake had some small waves.
Not enough form for surfing though.
Plus the water temperature and the air temperatures match.
A dip in 32 degree water?
No interest.

The best part of the area to the west of us is that it also has mountain ranges to be viewed in every direction.
I like how the snow coverage stripes on the mountainsides.

A sign and some houses between it and the mountain gives perspective on just how big this mountain range really is.
By the time we got home all the snow at our place had melted.
No snow was forecast for Saturday.
I wondered if this storm would be the last snow of the season.

The sound of a snow plow woke me up early Saturday morning.
Huh?
A peek out the window show about six inches of new fluff outside!
And color me happy...the snowflakes had form!

Three potted primroses sat on our deck coffee table gathering flakes that just begged to be photographed.

A Valentine apology for the season that flirts shamelessly between winter and spring.

 

Same snowflake shot three times...so tiny and perfect!

So fun to have color behind the flakes after working all winter with glass lens for backdrops.

More flakes are falling as I type.
Ohhhh....gotta go see them up close!
(Again, apologies to the winter weary. Believe me when I report that Utah snow is nothing like the snow that sits heavy and wet with below zero temps that try one's soul elsewhere!)