The Great Ice Disaster 2005: Day 2

As of first thing this morning, all indications were that my reprieve from class and work would last until 10 AM. I managed to sleep until nearly 8. In the last several months, I've lost my ability to sleep indefinitely late, so I was proud of my quasi-insomniacal brain for making it that far. I saw no ice or precipitation outside at all, save for the frost on the rooftops.

Claudia and I hurried and got ready for class and work, then stopped at Kerbey Lane for a pancake breakfast on the way. We drove (very carefully) over one icy bridge and then to campus. We were almost there when we heard word on the radio that everything was shut down all day.

Instead of work, I decided to go down to Town Lake to take pictures instead. Last weekend, driving over that bridge, I saw a glimpse of something resembling fall color (in December, mind you), so I thought I'd go try to capture it.

What I wound up seeing were three white swans, on the other side of Town Lake and the other side of Lamar, so I hiked over there, over the pedestrian bridge. At the top of the bridge, the wind was blowing. It might've been 29 or 30F out, but it felt much colder. Even with my scarf and toque and gloves, I was very very cold walking across that bridge.

There was a bit of ice still at the top and coating the steps down on the other side, so I was doing a good job of watching my step, or so I thought. I'd hardly descended the steps when my feet slid out from under me and I bounced down a few steps before landing hard on my butt. I did a quick self-assessment ("Camera? fine. Bones? ...I don't think anything is broken. Alright, let's go!") and then pulled myself up and continued, very very carefully. We Texans, we don't handle the ice well, it'd seem.

I tracked down the swans on the other side of that old building -- what is that building, anyway? I've always thought it was related to the power plant somehow, but I have no idea -- on the concrete slab where people often fish. There in the sun, taking photos of preening swans, I finally thawed out a bit.

Tonight, the temperature may dip into the teens, but there's no more precipitation expected, so I imagine it'll be business as usual tomorrow morning. I've got a quiz to study for and homework to do -- more tomorrow.