Daily winter visits to Halibut Point reveal unpredictable
transformations of water into ice and snow, as rearranged by wind and sun.
On this day the coldest elements have solidified in an arc
around cattails. A pressure fringe along the rim outlines an ice field floating
like a diminutive polar continent.
The variety of ways that water freezes makes a fairy-tale
science of crystallization. When it happens in the clouds we get snow which,
falling in moderate amounts, accentuates earth lines and colors.
Snow during the night decorates the achievement of a tree
growing out of a quarry wall. As the day unfolds this confection will melt
away.
Scientifically observed, water in all its states is
colorless. Artistically, it's magic. Like everything else it shrinks as it
cools. Then poof, uniquely, it becomes more spacious as it solidifies to float
on its liquid self before sublimating back to the air.
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| Crystal |
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| Glider |
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| Reacher Creature |
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| Melody |
Grownups assert that every snowflake is different, which
makes the impressionable mind go fuzzy. A Wikipedia contributor rolls out the
numbers: 10
19 (10 quintillion) water molecules make up a typical
snowflake, which grows at different rates and in different patterns depending
on the changing temperature and humidity within the atmosphere that the
snowflake falls through on its way to the ground. Aha. 10
19 makes
for a stupendous number of design combinations and permutations. Enjoy the
show!
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