January was a strange month. It started off with some storms and then, just like that, it dried up. It was cold but the sky was clear. Only a couple days in the latter 3 weeks of the month had any activity in the sky, let alone precipitation, of which there was none. This meant that it was a boring month, once the storms departed. I know a good photographer can make something happen no matter what the conditions but it was hard to break up all the other busy (and it was really busy!) things going on to get out there when the conditions weren’t compelling. Still, the month did start off with some beautiful sights:
The pools were quite full and made for great reflections. However, once the storms left, the started to dry up quickly.
We had a sunrise with a bit of a lenticular, which is always a welcome spectacle. They just haven’t been showing up like they used to the last few years…
This particular image wasn’t that amazing (or at least the conditions weren’t), but it was nice to say that as of that day, we owned the land I took the image from. Not a bad view!
Same spot as before, but note how much the pool has receded. The dry, boring weather was arriving.
It took nearly a month, but weather finally made it back to the area. Folks were ready for a storm, but that didn’t change the amount of work it takes to clear the snow. As welcome as the snow is, the work that comes with it is always a pill one has to swallow.
Here is my usual storm progression in my backyard. The first one is NOT a filter. There was a break in the storm at sunset and the light got really crazy.
In the end, we got a little over 2 feet of snow. However, it has been frigid, so it is most definitely not melting off any time soon.
I love the look of Mount Shasta City after a good snow. I think we have a pretty nice little town here.
When the snow finally stopped, the day was just coming to an end and though the sky had cleared, the clouds still clung to Mount Shasta and the mountain was not visible. That would have to wait for the next day, which was a bluebird day:
Needless to say, it was gorgeous. It was both frigid and glorious all at once. However, the real treat was what happened in Shasta Valley. Normally that area gets little to no snow. It got nearly a foot. That will have to wait for its own post though…
Hike Mt. Shasta 
Gorgeous as always although it’s hard to imagine Mt. Shasta boring under any circumstances. Grin. And I’d say that’s quite a view from your newly owned land. Are you going to build on it? –Curt
Well…we bought it to build an animal hospital on, but it is 8 acres, and we want the footprint of the hospital to be as small as possible. We do plan on putting a couple of campsites in the far back too, but that is pretty low impact. However, a building we have had our eye on for a while for a hospital might come available and that would be cheaper than building…
Let’s see, view or cost. Of course you will still have the view. And you could put a whole campground on it!
And Mount Shasta never gets boring! However, when the conditions are the same day in and day out, from a photographic perspective it hard to be motivated sometimes.
Got you. I know how you feel about ‘your mountain.’ Just kidding.
The views of Shasta reflected off the water is one of the most beautiful views I’ve seen regardless of the season. What an incredible place to live.
It is a great place to live! In terms of outdoor recreation, it is pretty tough to beat!
That’s very true! I’m glad to live not too far away from so many recreation opportunities.
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