The Ohio River has been very icy; in fact it was frozen over in some places. Barges pushed through anyway, as the ice wasn't very thick. Still this is the most ice I have seen on the river in years. I took these in Ravenswood today, just above the Great Bend of the Ohio.
In January 1978, it was possible to walk across the river at this point. I did not try, but many did.
In a large pond near us, we saw people ice-fishing on Saturday. That is not a common occurrence here either, although I remember one year---was it 2003 when we had the last real winter?--that our youngest son and his friends went ice-fishing in that same lake.
Then I remember 1978, when we had snow rollers on the ridge. Have you ever seen them? The snow freezes into a thin crust, and then a strong wind will peel up a section and roll it up into a tube. Back then I didn't take many photos and so I don't have any of the snow rollers, sadly, but I have never forgotten how odd those tubes of snow looked.
That was the year our road drifted in so deep in January that our boys and the neighbor's sons dug tunnels through the ten-foot high drifts. It was March before the State Roads sent an endloader to dig out our road. The boys missed over a month of school because the bus wasn't coming off the highway. The boys always walked a mile to the bus anyway because that was as close as it came to our place even in good weather, but a four-mile hike when the temperature got as low as -30f? Nope.
Memories, memories. I am sure glad I was young back then, because much as I enjoy winter, that was a little too much of a good thing. I do need to dig out what pictures I have, though, and scan them. Maybe one day.
It's cold but looks pretty beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIt really is, Angie.
DeleteSad you don´t have any pictures left!
ReplyDeleteYes, I think it was 1978, the snow was so high I could not see the opposite side of the street and we wore socks over the shoes for "safer walking".
Socks over shoes! That's brilliant. I would never have thought of that.
DeleteYou have a good memory of what happened when. Even if I reember things, I’d be hard pressed to know the year. I do recall a significant winter storm in London, Ontario in ‘71. Zines were published about it, and we had one. Sue had to walk miles across the city to get home from work. I can only pinpoint the year bc of other things that happened in my life at the time.
ReplyDeleteI think I remember because we talk about it often, AC. I really think that is how memories get preserved in our brains.
DeleteI expect you have many winters of significant snow, so that one in 1971 must have been a doozy!
...there are winters when Lake Erie freezes and you walk across to Canada.
ReplyDeleteOh wow! I think I would like to try that!
DeleteI have never heard of snow rollers. So interesting!
ReplyDeleteI have never seen them again, June. I was hoping we might have them with this snow.
DeleteFirst I have ever heard of snow rollers. Fascinating!!! And the snowed-in memory is really interesting. Glad I never had to home school mine for a month. Homework time was bad enough.
ReplyDeleteActually it wasnt bad, Mary. We had no TV so my boys read a lot. Getting them to do their math was the hardest. By the time they went back to school they were way ahead of their classes. That was funny.
DeleteI've never heard of snow rollers! I remember winters at the lake when I was a teen. It's not my favorite season but I was always impressed that you could walk across the lake!
ReplyDeleteI'm reminded of an expression: "Winter is the season of regret." But I'm learning not to regret the errors of the past.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots of snow...and memories of those storms, and iced rivers and lakes, and the amazing rollers!
ReplyDeleteGreat memories and photos. I was living in New England when we had the blizzard of 78. I never seen so much snow in my life. We had to shovel forever to free our cars and driveways. People were helping each other, it was an enjoyable event. Lots of good memories but hardly no photos.
ReplyDeleteThe snow rollers you mentioned also sound fascinating—those strange, natural phenomena are always such a surprise when they happen. It’s interesting how the harsh winters, though challenging, create such vivid memories. I can see how these experiences, while tough at the time, now hold a special place in your heart. And yes, I can imagine that walking four miles in -30°F weather would be a bit much! Hopefully you get around to scanning those photos one day; those memories are worth preserving.
ReplyDelete