Friday we woke up to one of my favorite things about winter here in Nevada
POGONIP
A Shoshone Indian word meaning white death. It is a freezing fog that covers everything in ice crystals. Think about it as a mix between snow and rock candy. Crystals form and build on top of each other, diamond coffins encasing everything in its path.
It is beautifully haunting to see.
And hear. There is eerie silence but if you listen carefully there is the slight cracking and creaking of crystals as they rub against each other and continue to build.
By midday the fog finally lifted and the pogonip began to melt. Perfect weather for building an upside-down snowman and going sledding and tubing!
Yes, I felt just like I look in the picture below – a beached whale. But it was so much fun! Hearing the laughter and giggles of children soaring down the hill has to be one of the best sounds in the world.
After all the fun we trekked back to the house to warm up with hot chocolate, snuggle under blankets and watch Ma & Pa Kettle
movies. When the sun set we were awed by a perfectly moonlit snowscape.
What a way to end the year!
Love that upside down snowman! The valley certainly is a froze winter wonderland at this point!
You do NOT look like a beached whaled! Great snowman!!! Happy New Year’s!
What beautiful photos!!!
Beautiful photos and what a fun day. You are a blessed woman!
Gorgeous!!! Those photos are simply beautiful! How fun!! I love that snow happens very, very rarely at our house….is pogonip the same?? One of those, maybe once a year days? And I agree with Jocelyn, you do not look like a beached whale….in fact, I don’t think you look whale-like at all! Congratulations on the happy and fun day!
ditto to the beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing!
The pictures are lovely and your imagery helped me hear it myself. What I love more than that, though, is how y’all are all wearing jeans rather than typical snow clothing. When it snows here (rarely!!!), my kids run into the snow in layered thermal p.j.’s, jeans, sweats, etc. It’s funnier than watching them play. So beautiful to share a great day such as you did.
Your word is much better than what it is called here in Canada…Hoarfrost! We love those days, it warms up enough to freeze ice crystals to everything!
And I noticed there that you are lacking proper snow clothes! 🙂 You would be so cold up here. ha ha
I will have you know you do NOT look like a beached whale! You look so very happy and beautiful.
Wow, that does look cold. I love the upside down snowman- what a clever idea! I’ll have to show that one to my boys, we’ll have to try that next time it snows…
What beautiful pictures! You make cold look inviting! Okay- I won’t complain about my upper 30 degrees! But the snow does look like fun!