Well, another Illustration Friday theme is upon us - this week it's "Cold". I had to think about this one for a while, and I decided I really wanted to find a "cold" quote to help me out. So I turned to ThinkExist, my trusty quote-finder. I immediately loved this anonymous quote for its simplicity and its truth. "To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold." (click the image to see a larger version) I can really relate to this quote, because I am an ardent snowflake fan. Having grown up in Texas, my exposure to snowflakes was limited to picture books and the very rare once-every-20-year dusting that we would get. I also saw snow here and there on vacation , but not very often. So, when we moved to Colorado almost 8 years ago, I quickly made up for a lot of lost snow days. It snowed a foot on March 18, 1998, the day after we arrived. Our sweet neighbors (also Texas transplants) introduced us to the snow shovel, which of course we had never seen. Despite the jolting effect of that much snow at one time, in March no less, I was instantly hooked. I loved to watch it snow - and it still thrills me to this day.
As I went through several seasons here, I began to learn about types of snow. The snow that fell in the mid-winter season (December - February) was typically a dry, fluffy snow (not particularly good for making snowmen), and the spring snow season (March - May) brought the heavy, wet snow. It is the dry snow that is now my favorite because quite often you can see individual snowflakes falling, verses clumps of snowflakes. During such a snowfall, I will stand out on my back porch wearing a long-sleeved dark shirt and watch, for as long as I can stand the cold, the magnificent little works of art land softly on my sleeve. They are so incredibly delicate, etched with such detail and perfection. They last just long enough for me to delight at their artistry, then my body temperature gets the best of them and they're gone. This snowflake-watching ritual turns me into a giddy kid every time!