Icicles in Paradise...

Icicles in Paradise...  Conditions are apparently just about perfect for icicle formation.  It's clear, but quite cold (just 9°F when we got up!).  The photo at right is from the exercise room on our second floor – it's the closest I can get to the icicles without actually going outside.  And going outside is definitely on my “avoid” list this morning!  We've now got around a hundred 3 foot long icicles on the north side of our house, and about the same number of 2 footers on the south side.  The shed, with its not-so-steep roof, doesn't have nearly the display of icicle gloriousness...

It hardly seems possible, but I don't think my calendar is lying to me: I leave on my grand cross-country adventure in just three days.  It seems like I should be scurrying about getting ready for the trip, but truthfully there's little to do.  I'm going to be picking up a few regional delicacies (can you say smoked bacon?) to take back to my mom, I need to pack a week or so worth of clothes, and a computer bag – but that's really it.  The big things that needed to be done (getting the truck checked out, getting an overhead rack installed on the truck, getting a trailer hitch, etc.) have already been done.  The weather forecast looks good for the whole trip, though anytime you're looking a week or more into the future you have to take that forecast with a truckload of salt.  Bright and early Wednesday morning I'm going to climb into my (cold!) truck and point the nose toward Albuquerque, New Mexico – the first stop on the trip...