A snow storm in Georgia!!

A massive snow storm passed through our area last night dumping close to 5 inches (13 cm) of snow.  Most of the snow fell within a one hour time period.  It was coming down so thick that it was difficult to see the street lights.  The highways are in very bad condition right now and they are expected to remain bad throughout the day.  The snow has moved more to the north of Atlanta and is heading toward South Carolina.  We are now getting what the weatherman calls “freezing rain”.  Tiny pieces of ice are falling instead of fluffy snowflakes.    We can expect freezing rain throughout most of the day.   The highway department is asking people to not go out on the roads.  The public buses are not running today.  The rapid transit train called Marta is running but it is experiencing some delays.  Most flights in and out of the airport are canceled.  Many people are sleeping on the floor at Hartsfield International airport.  Most businesses are closed and people are staying home.  It is not so bad to stay home as long as the power stays on.  So far there has not been any reported power outages in Georgia.  That will probably change now as the freezing rain continues to come down.  The fear is that ice will accumulate too much on tree limbs causing them to break and fall on power lines.  When this happens we can expect to lose power and without power we cannot heat our house.    But right now we can sit in a nice warm chair and gaze out the window at the beautiful winter landscape.

Merry Christmas !!・・・・・・・

まさにホワイトクリスマスです。前庭のクリスマスデコレーションのくまの頭にも雪が積もっています。窓から眺める、ふわふわ雪の舞い落ちるさまは、たとえようのない程気分の良いものです。

ＴＶでは全米各地からのクリスマスの様子を映し出しています。

クリスマスパレードに喜び、はしゃいでいる子どもたちの姿は、暗いニュースもあった2010年を明るく締めくくる最も素晴らしい映像だと思いました。

どの時代でも子供たちが、子供らしく伸び伸びと暮らせる環境を作り出し、その状態を守ってあげられるように、世界中の大人たちが力を合わせていかなければと感じました。

今夜は家で「クリスマス　キャロル」を３Ｄで見る予定です。今までは60インチのパイオニア
ＴＶで毎日楽しんでいましたが、2週間ほど前にパナソニックの65インチの３ＤＴＶが新たに加わりました。３Ｄは迫力があります。海底の様子を映し出す映像は、ファミリールームに魚の群れがあふれ出し一瞬にして海底に居るかのような錯覚を覚えました。

まだまだ３ＤのＤＶＤは多くありませんので、普段は60インチのＴＶで日本語放送やドラマなどを楽しむつもりです。

今年も残すところ後わずかとなりました。

2011年が世界中の人たちにとって明るく、平和な年になりますよう祈るばかりです。

・・・・・・・ &  A Happy New Year !!

Fall at Lake Arrowhead Resort

Today we enjoyed fall at Lake Arrowhead resort located in north Georgia.

These pictures were taken while playing golf.  The valleys and the surrounding hills are showing off their splendid colors.  This day the morning started out at a cool 7° C and quickly warmed to around 23° C by noon.

It was a perfect day to enjoy the out of doors.