Not knowing when we will pick up and leave this mill town, every walk is precious as it could be the last…
This one is, taken between Christmas and New Year’s, is a favorite…
I don’t see the mill as spoiling the view, for without it here, there would have been no Powell River. Did you know that according to the International Encyclopedia this was once the largest paper mill in the world? Ironically, I just recycled the last volume of this old encyclopedia set. Too much paper in this house!
And out one frosty morning walking with Jim while our house was being shown we stumbled upon these wonders of spun frost. Wonderful! Have you seen them?
Officially called ‘frost flowers’, here’s the scoop on how it happens:
“Frost flowers develop when air temperatures are freezing but the ground still is warm enough for the plant’s root system to be active. Plant juices flow from these roots up into the stem, where the cold air freezes them. As the moisture in the plant freezes, the ice crystals push out through the stem. They may emerge from a small slit to form thin ribbon-like strands or they may split open a whole section of the stem and push out in a thin, curling sheet. Sometimes several ribbons of ice push out to create a flowerlike petal effect. As long as the juices flow, air temperatures remain low, and the plant is shaded from the sun, these ice crystals continue to form. But the petals of frost flowers are very delicate and will break when touched. They usually melt or sublimate when exposed to sunlight and are usually visible in the early morning or in shaded areas.”
But I prefer to bypass the scientific explanation and just look and say WOW!
—Aren’t God’s works WONDER-FUL?!
–LS
By the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitened. Job.37:10
Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it? Job 38:29
