Winter............

There is a LOT of snow in Juneau right now.

More than I have seen in the ll months that I have been here.

I cleared off my car yesterday when I took Jamie out to the Shrine of St Therese, and then cleared a whole lot more snow off my car this morning before crossing my fingers and hoping that the car would make it up the still unploughed hills safely to Glacier Highway.

The snow was deep but my heavy beast of a car (with the messed up drivers side door, dent in the back panel drivers side, expensive new brake job, overpriced battery and ghetto burgandy interior) made it through the snow.

And then made it to town on icy roads while passing by two road-conditions-related traffic accidents on Egan Drive.

These are simply some random snow related pictures taken over the past couple of days in my travels around Juneau.

The picture above was taken yesterday and is of the cabin that I live in.

It is a rental but truly I wish I owned it because I love the house (quirks and all) and love where it is located (bad cell phone reception and all).

Somehow I don't think that I would be able to afford it..............

Early this afternoon I had work related reasons to be at Wal-mart.

The first thing that I noticed when I pulled into the parking lot is just how much bigger the mountains in Juneau and on Douglas Island look with snow on them.

I have noticed it before and suppose that it is an optical illusion, but they really do look bigger and more magnificent covered with snow.

The second thing that I noticed were the ravens.

And I just figured out where all the ravens in downtown Juneau go after all the cruise ships leave town.

They go to Wal-mart.

They are fat and sassy and numerous and OWN the parking lot - strutting about the lot, and perching unapolagetically on car hoods and truck bed rails.............

Snow covered mountain views from the parking lot at Wal-mart..........

On the way back into town I stopped for just a few minutes close to the DIPAC fish hatchery to take pictures of the quiet and calm winter day that today was.

Just a block away was the busy main highway, but right here, at this place was only quiet.

The sun tried valiantly to shine for a few minutes before giving up on the effort and disappearing behind the clouds again.

And as I looked at the mountains over on Douglas I took a deep breath and found peace for just a moment before getting back into my car, sliding through the unploughed parking lot, merging back onto the slushy and icy highway and heading back to my office...........

The Juneau Empire, Juneau's daily newspaper office, located across the road from DIPAC........

A picture taken at a picnic area overlooking Statter Harbor in Auke Bay.

Fresh and untouched snow.............

Statter Harbor in Auke Bay.

No more whale watching boats or fishing boats or recreational boats heading out into the channel.

Just a harbor at rest...............

Yesterday I pulled off Glacier Highway while making my way to the Shrine.

My car does fine while driving straight, but I am learning quickly how it reacts to braking and how it reacts while pulling into unploughed overlooks - a little dicey.

This is the same overlook that I excitedly pulled off at one day early in the summer on the way to work, when three adolescent bears climbed up the bank from the water and made their way across the road, up the embankment and then into the woods.

Two ran across the road as I was approaching the overlook and quickly disappeared.

But I watched the third one, the straggler, climb over the guard rail, walk to the road, get scared back into the parking lot when a car sped by, climb up onto the guard rail and then eventually find his way to the road again.

Early in the morning I watched this guy for a few minutes before he too, disappeared into the woods.

A very wonderful and unexpected encounter that I will never forget.

Views of the highway in both directions...........

Views from the overlook yesterday, on a partially sunny and spectacularly beautiful day.............

I have been parking my car up at a turn-around about 1/4 mile from the house.

Views of what my driveway looked like tonight before one of my neighbors, in a wonderfully thoughtful gesture, ploughed it with his 4-wheeler............

Underneath all that snow is the steps that lead up to the house...........

Russian nesting dolls bought while I was in Sitka and now sitting on a window sill in my living room.......

I came across this plaster mask while unpacking two boxes of quilts last weekend.

It was made by my oldest son Sean when he was about 10 or 11 years old.

It is a partially painted plaster cast of his face that he made in school while we were living in Sault Ste Marie Ontario.

It is one of those things - like the football picture that he drew and George the Bug that was made by Chris, that I will always keep..............

One more picture of my snow-covered walk way..............

One last picture taken this afternoon of the mountains and channel at DIPAC fish hatchery...........

The cold was our pride, the snow was our beauty. It fell and fell, lacing day and night together in a milky haze, making everything quieter as it fell, so that winter seemed to partake of religion in a way no other season did, hushed, solemn......Patricia Hampl