Christmas Trees, Fata Morgana, Fog and Movies

Like all kiddos this time of year, Leo is a little bit Christmas crazy. He has been wanting to decorate his yurt ever since he saw the decorations go up at Fred Meyer. Here he is with his masterpiece tree.

Don't worry folks that's not my camera he is holding. Whoa there cowboy!
The weather in the Anchorage area has been inverted and foggy. While these conditions are a bit of an annoyance they also create some really cool effects. One of those effects is called Fata Morgana, or mirage. During an inversion, warm air on top traps cold air beneath. When light passes through that shift in air temperature it refracts light and acts as a lens. On a recent ski trip we looked over the Knik arm and saw a mirage looking band going across the mountains. It kind of looks like the middle of the mountains have been stretched out vertically. Right where that band is located is where the temperature is shifting from cooler to warmer. Click on the photo below for a better look at this.

Another fun thing about fog it that, when the temperature is in the single digits, you get some awesome frost. Here are some Eagle River trees.

Ans some frost on our railing.

And, here's more frost on our railing.

Those crystals were approaching an inch long. It is snowing again here today which is covering and collapsing many of those crystals.
We have been feeling a bit under the weather here at the yurt. Not much outside play, but lots of movies! Here is Leo getting comfortable in his self made movie throne.