Dec 30, 2010

On A Colder Note



Sunday morning we rose early to leave our Christmas family in Bayside and head out to the North Fork.  The weather folks warned us of a winter snow bearing up on us, as it was approaching from the south, and we thought it better to outrun the storm rather than get mired in it.  There was almost no traffic on the roads due to the day, the hour and the warnings so the drive was very pleasant as we recalled the events and conversations of the day before, but it was dark and eerie.  As we arrived a very fine snow began, then became suddenly thicker and the winds picked up and up gusting at 50 mph. sometimes higher.  There didn't seem to be much risk of physical danger as long as one used his brains and stayed off the treacherous roads.


So we got in the jeep to see what we could see.  Not much as it turned out.  With such low visibility I doubted that any photos I took would be usable and the chance that a fast moving highway department snowplow could open up our vehicle like a can of sardines sent us back to the nest.


The snow ceased Monday morning around 11 am after accumulating to nearly a foot overall.  It left many deep drifts closing roads.  High tide stacked up by wind flooded many low land areas.  But now we could see for some distance though the wind was still high and so decided to go out again.  Our travels took us from the Peconic Bay in Cutchogue, to the Bay in New Suffolk, on to the Long Island Sound at the Mattituck Inlet and across farmland to the Village of Southold where we stopped at Founder's Tavern for soup and burgers next to a warming fire before heading home.  These are some of the scenes we photographed. 




Click on photos to enlarge.


Peconic Bay at New Suffolk



Mattituck Airport



Green Bouy at the Mattituck Inlet



Wind Over Farmland and a Copse of Trees



Soil Eroded by Wind Mixed With Snow
on Potato Harvesting Trucks



Wind on Low Road






Drifts After the Winds Calmed












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18 comments:

Al said...

Beautiful photos. I'm hoping we get some snow here today. Have a very Happy New Year.

KaHolly said...

Oh, wow, Mark! Esp. that second photo - the one of Peconic Bay! It's just absolutely stunning. I can see that it WOULD make a beautiful card. I'm enjoying t-shirt weather today and am very glad I'm not back east! ~karen

My name is Riet said...

Beautiful pictures of skies and snow. I saw your last post about the Keys. We have been there many times and then especialy Islamorade. Talking about fishing. Love that place and hopefully we will be able to go there again this spring. Have a Happy NewYear

Linda said...

Great series of shots. Those snow drifts are stunning.

Sylvia K said...

Fantastic group of shots, Mark! I, too, love the snow drifts! You could indeed make some lovely cards with these! Wishing you a very Happy New Year!

Sylvia

Anonymous said...

That winter storm missed us, I'm happy to say!

Light and Voices said...

Holy Cow...that was some wind blowing snow helter skelter! Your images are fantastic. You were very brave to go out in that storm. Happy New Year!
Joyce M

Unknown said...

Great photos Mark! The winds were really outrageous.
Happy New Year.

Janice Kreider said...

What a storm. I especially liked the first photo of blowing snow on a low road.

Lori Skoog said...

I'm freezin' looking at these fabulous shots.

Lillian Robinson said...

Beautiful photos! I don't know which I like more... your snow pics or the autumn colors. We had several inches that stayed through Christmas. All our snow melted during our very brief warm-up. Now it's cold and the mud is freezing.

SILVER said...

Wow.. they look spectacular to me! Must be quite challenging trying to snap them in such windy conditions but they turned out really good!

Smiles,
Silver

Kcalpesh said...

Really amazing Nature Photography!!!

Pixellicious Photos

Lisa said...

Chilling beauty.

Dropping by to wish you a Happy New Year.

Brenda's Arizona said...

Oh my, Mark - your top photo is breath-taking. The potato trucks had me staring...
such lovely/chilling photography.

eileeninmd said...

Fantastic series. Your photos are all beautiful and I loved the scenery and landscapes.

Jeni said...

I'm definetly a fan now... you have a great eye! I love these pics... you capture such beauty Long island offers.

Riverhead NY Hotels said...

You have some beautiful pictures here of Long Island. Seems like no matter the season or weather, the North Fork is a beautiful place to live or visit. Thanks for sharing.