Snow Sculpture

Here in western Washington, we don't get much snow-- a dusting once or twice a year. But every once in a while, we get that rare combination of moisture and cold, so that the snow stays around for a while. The week of Christmas, we had just such an event: it was a winter wonderland! However, I learned that the fluffy white snow doesn't stay that way, even if it stays cold enough to stick around.

I'm sure that if you are a person who lives in Minnesota or New England, you know about this already, but the snow becomes gross and dirty after a day or two. However, there is one thing about dirty snow that I really enjoy, and that's roadside snow/sand sculpture. There is a particular lumpy pillar of dirty snow on a roadside near here that always tricks me into thinking there's a bunny or prairie dog sitting upright at the side of the road. (It's a bit of a by-product of near-sightedness that far-away things look like other things if you've got a good imagination). It gives me a little surprise when I come around the bend and see it there, and I'll be sad to see it go.