We are having an actual winter here in central Texas, with freezing rains, sub-freezing temperatures for more than an hour, and possibility of not see above-freezing temperatures for at least 3 days. I’m calling it a Polar Vortexian, a polar vortex, Texan style.

When I came out of work on Thursday, my car was completely covered in ice, and I snapped a few shots to share with Heidi. Believe it or not, it’s not the worst ice I’ve seen. Back in my Coast Guard days, when I was stationed on the now decommissioned USCGC Sedge, we went through a rough storm just north of Kodiak, AK, and when we finally pulled into port, there was a nice glaze of ice,  of 3 to 5 inches thick. Our chief petty officer sent us out on the decks with sledgehammers, baseball bats, and anything we could find, to break it up.

Not quite the same here. I used a normal ice scraper to get rid of the ice off the precious and classic Saturn 2000 LW1. I also managed to drive the treacherous roads arriving safely at home (please note: it wasn’t really the ice that made the roads treacherous as much as it was the other drivers. This is what really makes a Polar Vortex into a Polar Vortexian! Imply what you will).

All photos copyright © Timothy J. Hammons 2021.