Cold and Snow

February has been unusually cold for Sitka.  It got down to the single digits for several nights... the record low ever in Sitka is zero.  We woke up one morning to find the cove behind the house frozen over.  This is a direct link to the ocean and there was NO water moving.  We average only 20" of snow a year and just in a week we had over 3 FEET.  The cold started first and our small lake in town was nice and frozen.  the even put a set of flood lights in to allow for night skating.  Then the snow hit... the ice was covered with all this snow.  People were now x-country skiing and driving their ATV with snow plows on the ice to move enough snow to play hockey or skate.  Someone even plowed a long path for people to walk around the lake.  Several of the side roads got so narrow that they became one lane.  

Monday the 5th we took a short hike up to a little lake.  The snow on the trees was incredible and again the iced lake had all that snow on it

 D'Artagnan had a great time running out on the "lake".  He loves to chase rock that we throw into the water, but now...no rocks.  He also like to go after snowballs.  

So I'd thow snowballs and he try to find them.  As 

today(15th) we are almost clear of snow after a week of rain and warmer temps...more normal.  The big weekend snow found Meg, Charles, and Anna in Haines where the temps were below 0 and the wind chills 25-30 below.  This weekend Anna is in Anchorage being cold again.