I am on my annual pilgrimage to the Chicago area to visit family over the holidays. The day after I arrived, freezing rain coated everything with ice, creating dangerously slick driving conditions. The following day, more freezing rain was followed by eight inches of snow. Since then, it has snowed almost every day and the temperature has barely climbed above ten degrees. Although I don’t venture out much in this kind of weather, I managed to brave the horrid conditions one rare sunny day to take photos. Frost and ice had coated the naked tree trunks and tall grasses, transforming barren forests into a fairyland. Despite my double-lined winter coat, knit cap, hood, boots and gloves, I just about froze to death. I swear the metal earpieces of my glasses froze to my cheekbones.
I was feeling pretty proud of myself for enduring the elements until happening upon these teens jumping around on the rocks at the edge of the Illinois River, wearing only lightweight jackets, and I began to question whether I really was just a wuss about cold weather.
Still, even my sisters are complaining about the winter this year, something that I can’t recall happening in previous years. One of them sent me the following poem, which perfectly expresses my sentiments about Chicago winters:
It’s winter in Illinois
And the gentle breezes blow
Seventy miles an hour
At thirty-five below.
Oh, how I love Illinois
When the snow’s up to your butt
You take a breath of winter
And your nose gets frozen shut .
Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I’ll hang around
I could never leave Illinois
Cuz I’m frozen to the ground!
Author unknown
Perhaps I’m not such a sissy after all. Normally, I would be looking forward to heading south, but from the weather reports, it seems the south is not much better off than Chicago. Wonder what happened to global warming?
My dad is moving to chicago soon with my step mom and little brother so i want to know so when i can visit….
Amazing pix!
I hope you really enjoyed your holiday trip.
It’s really worth to explore this great destination.
All Pictures are really beautiful, Lots of my holidays i spent in this kind of climate , sometimes people become so anxious to see snow in California, i must tell it would be heaven for them and upto most enjoyable.
The photos are stunning! And that poem made me lough and remember when I almost ‘froze to the gournd’. I am one of those nutters who actually loves winter. Way back in Ontario it was so cold that walking home (from my car to my cabin about 20 min.) in fierce west-wind my teary eyes caused frozen eyelashes thick with ice. You won’t believe how ‘heavy’ that feels :))
If it’s snowing or there’s a lot of snow on the ground I’ll put up with any temperature, no matter how low. Take away the snow and the cold (in my mind) becomes instantly worthless.
These photos seem so incongruous to Sydney where it is over 90 degrees F for several days and I am sweltering sitting at my laptop. As an Australian who rarely sees snow, I am mesmerised by how the snow settles so beautifully on the leaves and branches of trees giving a wonderful ghost quality. Mind you, my one time in Chicago was in May and I was struck by how cold it was.
Wow – what stunning photos! Even Andalucia is below freezing at the moment. Snow only falls here once a century – but apparently it fell this week.
It’s kinda funny how people always want the opposite. People here in California wants to see snow. People that see snow everyday are sick of it.
Great pictures! Keep warm!!