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That chattering noise you hear is the sound of my teeth encountering a Minnesota winter.

It’s at once exhilarating and stupid. Exhilarating, because the air is so fresh and clear and crisp, almost as if there’s a different brand of oxygen out here. Some of my favorite winter moments have been spent in Minnesota.

Stupid, because (a) it’s not winter yet so it has no business being this cold and (b) after careful consideration of the 10-day weather forecast for Minneapolis, I chose a coat rated to about 25 degrees F.

It’s now 8 degrees.

If you believe in windchill factors, it’s actually 6 degrees below. During the windy walk from my car to the hotel airlock I decided I fervently believe in windchill factors.

The weather report forecast snow for tonight but I think it’s ‘way too cold (although my mother pointed out that it’s always ‘way too cold in Antarctica but still manages to snow regularly). Ironically, back in glassland we’re getting unseasonably cold weather with a generous helping of snow and sleet. Mom says my car will need to be dug out.

I did get to see a great Minnesota thunderstorm earlier in the week, something I dearly miss in glassland. But my hope for a good old Minnesota snowstorm will have to wait until my next visit, it seems. And by the time I get home, all the snow will be melted.

Drat. I’m visiting my favorite snowflake site (courtesy of CalTech) as a consolation prize.

Apparently having nothing better to do, these guys have developed a snowflake microphotography system that takes absolutely gorgeous pictures of snowflakes from different parts of the world. They’ve written a guide to recognizing different snowflakes in the field, helped the US Post Office put snowflakes on a series of stamps and just generally tell the world about snowflakes.

Seriously, though, they’re using these things in ongoing crystallography research, and generously sharing galleries and galleries of their work. Definitely worth a visit.

They’ve also got a section on frost, which explains why I couldn’t see out of my freezing car tonight. I’d rolled up the windows, trapping the moist heat from my body inside (I suppose) and when the temp dropped it condensed and made some beautiful patterns on the inside of the windshield.

Too bad rental cars don’t come with ice scrapers. Took about 15 minutes for the car defroster to work up enough gumption to melt it, which gave me plenty of time to study the dying crystallization patterns.

They would have been a lot more fascinating observed while inside a down parka.

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