The Extremes of Sumas Prairie

There was a rare 'Silver Thaw' that winter. The warm rains were falling through the atmosphere to hit a very cold layer of air just above ground level. Wherever the raindrops hit, that is where they would freeze and soon everything had a layer of ice or was hanging with icicles. The storm passed as suddenly as it had appeared and some late winter light filtered through the clouds in the west. It was caught in the ice, reflected, bounced, and flung back out in silver shimmers. The snow was glazed with a mirror finish and the trees were hanging with diamonds. Like that frosty January morning, earlier this year, it was a rare and beautiful experience.