A Cold Alberta Morning – What Minus 20°C Looks Like
American: We get an awful lot of cold waves from Canada. Can’t we weatherstrip the border?
– Author Unknown –
In Canada, 0° C is the freezing point of water (and exposed skin). So what is -20° C like? If you live south of me, you may soon find out, because that is what the temperature is here this morning and when the wind picks up it will probably head your way!! (And that merits two exclamation marks.) I, plucky Canadian that I am, braved the cold to take some pictures for you. Then I tracked down some quotations that will explain what winter means to me.
The bird bath and the solar lights – they are all starting to list as the frost heaves them one way or another.
A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.
– Carl Reiner –
Everything was coated with frost this morning and that was the only reason I went outside to take pictures!
Winter is the season in which people try to keep the house as warm as it was in the summer, when they complained about the heat.
– Author Unknown –
If it hadn’t been so cold, I would have set up the tripod to take photos of these spruce needles.
Antisthenes says that in a certain faraway land the cold is so intense that words freeze as soon as they are uttered, and after some time then thaw and become audible, so that words spoken in winter go unheard until the next summer.
– Plutarch, Moralia –
These are my tracks in the snow as I darted to and fro snapping photos. In any other circumstances, wouldn’t you say that the maker of these tracks had had one drink too many!?
brrrrrrrr …. that looks mighty cold!
here is south Texas, we’re already hovering in the 70’s
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Hi Texas – 70F is 21C – just about the perfect temperature for me!
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Hi,
Now that is very cold, I just couldn’t imagine being in such cold weather. You were very brave going outside, but what magnificent photos.
I had a bit of a laugh about your footprints, they do look funny zig zagging all over the place. 😀
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Hi Mags – Not brave at all – just what we do because we live here!
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It looks gorgeous….but ohhhh so cold!!
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Hi Cee – it was a wonderful morning. I just returned from another session of shooting photos outside, and it is not nearly so magical because the frost has disappeared!
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That is awe-inspiringly beautiful, but I could never live in those conditions. I am a wimp.
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Hi pouring – Not a total wimp. I saw the snowman you and your family made!
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Oh, we can touch snow… we just can’t live in it.
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More than one or two drinks, me thinks 🙂
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Hi Pensioner – only orange juice, I swear!
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I love how you just made -20 beautiful through your lens. It almost melted my cold cold heart 😉
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Hi Belle – Thanks for the compliment – I see you are about ready for winter to end too!
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So much nicer to view these gorgeous photos from my nice, warm spot 60degrees in tennessee
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Hi jwms – 60F is 15C – that is a nice temperature to be outside!
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The crystal spruce needles and the frost on top of the plant are stunningly beautiful! Thank you for taking pictures in -20C! Hope you didn’t stay out there for long.
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Hi Amy – I thought the spruce needles were the prettiest too!
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Brrrrrr! I love snow. Maybe not. Your photos are mesmerizing, and the quotes are grand too.
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Thanks Dor – there are no end of quotations about snow and cold!
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I heard the crunching of the snow steps in your pictures.
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Hi Prairie – You have excellent hearing!
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You are one dedicated photographer! I love the photos, the one of the spruce needles is absolutely exquisite!!!
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Hi Carol – it isn’t hard to be dedicated when the scenery is right outside the back door!
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Beautiful pictures, though if it is all the same with you, please keep that cold air up in your parts. We’ll be a bit more welcoming of Canadian air masses mid summer.
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Hi Phil – Sorry, but we take no responsibility for the poor weatherstripping you have erected at the border.
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Yep, probably coming my way. Actually we’re supposed to have an ice storm tomorrow night. Love the quote about the words freezing… very profound!
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Hi BRC – Canadians love to share – their weather….
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Nice frost and snow photos. As for weatherstriping the border, I’ve never thought of that before.
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Hi My Camera – it takes a great mind to think such a grand thought – too bad we don’t know who that mind was.
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I never tire of seeing your breathtaking photography. You capture the world so beautifully. 🙂
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Thanks E.C. – I appreciate and value your opinions!
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Beautiful photo’s, with this beauty then temperature is forgotten . lol 😉
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Thanks cobbies – you are right, the temperature is much easier to forgive when it looks so pretty outside
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You are truly the master of crystal photography!
(Please include a photo of a mug of hot chocolate at the end next time so we can warm up.)
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Hi Mark – hot chocolate – with or without marshmallows?
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Margie, will hit 70 degrees here today. That’s Fahrenheit. I plan on putting on shorts and a tee-shirt and take my sweet little cocker spaniel for a long walk.
I’m sure the cold is nice, too. HF
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Hope you and your puppy had a nice walk, Harper. Enjoy your weather – I’m sure, before too long, that you will have days that are unbearably hot!
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That qualifies as cold!
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Hi Lorna – We don’t like to brag, but -30 to -35 is when it gets really cold…
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Part of me says “gorgeous photos” and the other part of me says “ouch!!” Chess by the fireplace is my idea of winter sports:-)
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Hi Composer – You are right – on a day that cold we spend a lot of time indoors!
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You took some great photos…but that’s a really cold temperature for me!
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Thanks Fergie – Really, there is a reason why people don’t flock to Canada to live! Well, they do flock, but once they have experienced their first winter, many flock back home, or flock south for the winter.
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Woke up at 5 a.m. to 70 degrees today so brrrrr. This would make me go catatonic. Are you dry or wet humidity?
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Hi Amanda – 70 degrees would feel wonderfully warm to us! We live in a dry climate, so the cold isn’t really as bone chilling as a wet cold, such as England.
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What great photos to show us minus 20 degrees. Thank you for braving the cold to capture them.
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No problem, yearstricken. It wasn’t like I had a choice – my camera said, “Suit up, lady, we’re going outside!”
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