And remarkably, it's not too cold to go outside & look at it.

Everything here is completely coated in about a quarter inch of ice, with icicles spaced roughly every one to two inches. It's pretty impressive. In fact, I took a bunch of cameraphone pictures and put them in my Scraps.

They are free to use for anyone. I didn't make the ice, I just snapped some pictures of it. Enjoy, everybody, and do whatever the heck you want to with them. I hereby declare them public domain free stock photos.

Now, two years ago it would have been different. That time there was so much ice that the trees were covered in enormous *curved* icicles; as they had formed, the weight kept building up and making the branches sag further. If I'd had a camera then, I'd have been selling prints; I honestly have never even seen *pictures* of anything like it. Plus, just going outside was not only painfully cold, but rather dangerous as the ground was coated in just as much ice. Everything was frozen solid for 2 whole days. Risking my neck for those shots would have required some *payback*!

But these ones, while rather cool, are nothing so special that I won't share 'em freely. So have fun.

(IMO, the ones of the old burned-out pickup behind the service station are the best. Fire and ice!)

Oh, hey, I just noticed $chix0r's Dead Pool is up again. Here's my picks for 2010:

1.Dick Clark-even he can't live forever
2.Rush Limbaugh-'cause he's just so askin' for it
3.Bill O'Reilley-even more askin' for it
4.Kirk Douglas-'cause I'm shocked every time I remember he's still alive
5.Rick Ocasek-'cause his name has 4 letters too

Yeah, I know they're all guys, but I'm pretty sure I'll never understand women.

Hmmm.... It just occurred to me, doesn't Ocasek spell his name "Ric"? Ooooops... Oh well, randomness definitely counts here!