China Picture of the Day: 13 December 2010 ~ First Snow of the Season

Monday, December 13, 2010

13 December 2010 ~ First Snow of the Season

I was so excited when I woke up this morning to this view...a winter wonderland with even more white stuff falling from the sky. I have lived in sunny, warm California all my life and have always dreamed of living in an area that gets snow in the winter. Got my wish!

It was a brisk -9º C/16º F with a wind chill factor well below zero.

(Thanks for sending the boots and long johns, Deb!!! Perfect timing!)

This was the first time I have ever walked to work in the snow.

I was a cold, but very happy camper!

There she is!

Once at work, it turned into a very bizarre day. There was a note on the board that nine teachers were out sick with some kind of stomach bug. Rumors abound about the cause and we were all quite worried. There is no sub pool here. We rely on parents to come in and help, so it was a bit of a scramble to get all the classes covered. Then about 10 am, the electricity went out and we were roaming around in the dark with the building getting colder and colder. After lunch, it was announced that the kids would be dismissed at 2:00. At about 2:30, just as the last few kids were being picked up, the electricity came back on. Go figure!

The staff was dismissed about three o'clock and when I got home it was a nippy 13º F with a wind chill factor of 15 below. Whenever I have a free afternoon (which doesn't happen very often) and the sun is shining, I make the most of it by heading up Dragon Mountain for a hike before sunset. It was doggone cold, but Veronica, Susan, and I weren't going to let that stop us!

We bundled up and headed out...

...happy to be free and hiking in the snow and

listening to the crunch, crunch, crunch under our feet!

It was freezing...literally! At one point I took off my gloves to snap my hood closed and my fingers went numb within seconds. I must say, I have never experienced such cold.