How is your weather?

A mate from the States told me that it was a legal requirement to have snow tyres fitted during Winter.

Can't remember which state he was from, or if he was serious or not.

 

Yeah, we have some roads here in the mountains where it is illegal to travel during winter months without chains. It depends where you are and in which state.

The last 4 consecutive days have been record breaking lows here...it should start "warming up" tomorrow apparently. Been nice and dry for yard work though, but you gotta keep moving. My back is sore!!!!

 

The only difference between mud and snow tires, is while driving with mud tires, the mud should filing off, with snow tires, the snow should stick to the tire, the snow helps keep a grip on the snow……..It’s been eight years since I last drove a car, not up to the tire standards these days……..the last time I was living in the snow belt, was 1985….unless you wanted to spend more money for a snow only tire, you got a tire that was rated snow + mud, it worked just fine……….wobbles

 

Well, it's less funny in the South. Houses are not insulated as well as in the colder climates, and many older houses don't have the walls insulated at all. Water pipes start bursting if the temps stay in the 20s for more than a day.

My (almost new) house has R12 insulation in the walls, and R20 over the ceilings, but older homes are pretty naked. Even the outside faucets are different. Up north the faucet itself goes deeper into the wall before hitting soft copper tubing.

As far as studded tires, they were legal in Illinois (where I grew up) for a few years, then banned except for police/emergency vehicle use because they ate up the road surfaces on dry roads. I'm surprised they're allowed anywhere, although they are a HUGE improvement over any rubber on ice. Down here, nobody's ever heard of studded tires.

 

I agree...they do chew up the roads. I guess that's why we have start and end dates of season here. If you have them on after that then the fines are pretty huge. Personally I don't use them. I'm in training for the 2010 Winter Olympics Kia Sportage 4x4 skating competition

 

Around here most people just hit the brakes and let momentum take over.

It's real ugly.

Steve

 

It has been in the lower 70s all day and it's only 69' right now at 1:00am. I mean this is crazy, this is supposed to winter isnt it? LOL!

 

Well, as the song goes "Sweet home Alabama, Where the skies are so blue ".

I must visit Alabama one day...just so I can relate to that song even more than just being my ringtone

 

If ya want blue skies, come over to this neck of the woods. Blue skies, and 90 deg – bah! Only a week left of summer (officially). Of course, it will probably be pretty hot 'till April, worse luck.

 

I havn't seen a blue sky in a while, it's been grey and black for the past few weeks. I think Monday it's supposed to clear up and I will be fishing everyday it's clear.

 

Blue skies here in Colorado. not bad temp for winter also (54). Mid 60's next wk supposedly. AND.........you better have snow tires and/or chains on the mtn passes. One, they are frequently required, and two. it makes sense unless you want to get a free pass down the side of a mountain.

Jack

 

22 degrees here right now, and sunny, but with a west wind gusting to 20 mph the wind chill is right aroung zero. Took the dog out for a walk this morning and my moustache froze.

 

<JEALOUS>

I'd rather be fishing too.........

 

75 here in southern california.

 

Ouch! That's a little too much for me. I like the colder weather but not with the wind.

 

I went today!

I caught about 8 largemouth bass, biggest coming in at about 6 lbs. Good day overall, it's going to rain all day today "Saturday" but clearing on Sunday. Monday is going to be an all day fishing day for me, all by myself!!!

 

Cool Good job! My husband and I went over to our daughter's to help cut up the doe he got with his bow this week. Small but tender

 

Yeah, the smaller ones are the best to eat IMO. I have no lie about 100 lbs our deer sausage and just picked up my meat from this season. I have about 80 lbs of hamburger meat and the sausage from last year so I'm set in the deer meat department.

It's now time time restock with fish!

 

We made about 90 lbs of deer hamburger between us. Still have plenty of trout but there's only small steelhead for fishing round here legally right now. I can't wait to get back out fishing...got some new waders that just feel so cosy and I want to try them out

 

I can't wait for my local seafood shop to open tomorrow.

Australian and New Zealand Red Snapper on special for $9.99 KG.

 

I've always wanted to try out trout fishing, I think it would be more fun.

 

Believe it or not, we have had about 5 days of clear skies and perfect fishing weather. When I get them back from the store I will post my big boys I caught.

 

Make sure you take the wrapping off the fish first eh?

 

LOL!!!! I actually caught some live ones! The weather has finally gotten where they are biting.

We caught about 15 perch, one right after another using a carolina pumpkin yum wooly beavertail. They tore that thing up, soon as it hit the water and sank to about 2ft. they hit it everytime.

Biggest one was about 2lbs., it was fun. The bass wasn't biting as good but we did catch a few 4 and 5 pounders.

 

Sounds like fun. I love fishing, especially lure, fly and float fishing.

Fishing with a dry fly is great fun. Decent gear though, is very expensive.

Believe it or not, I have a fly rod worth over $700, and some of my lure rods are over $300.

And that's not top of the range either. I've seen fly rods in stores selling for almost $2 000!

 

Ouch!!! I use the Wal-Mart rod and reels, they have never broken or failed me so I use them and love them to death. If you ever have a problem you can take it back a get a new one. LOL!

 

LOL, good ol' Walmart!

The way they build them these days, even the cheap ones are very good.

Rods that is. Some of the really cheap and nasty reels leave a lot to be desired though.


I haven't been fishing for a while, well over a year. I miss it, must go out soon.

 

I'm going more this week if I can get a break from the Fire Dept. we have had call after call because of idiots burning. I mean dry air, dry ground, clear skies, warm weather, light wind...I mean it doesn't take a genius to realize "hey, i shouldnt burn because the wind is blowing and it's very dry" but nope, they start a small fire in some leaves and burn 100 acres.

 

You should see the fires we get here almost every year in Summer.

Homes get wiped out and people killed, and most of the fires are deliberately lit.

They even caught one idiot who lit a very destructive one, and get this, he was a volunteer firefighter!

 

Dang! There has been I think 12 churches burned here and I don't think they have found who's setting them yet. Our FF's know better than to set a fire we would get called to. LOL!

 

I've been noticing those, although the mainline news has mostly ignored it. All Baptist churches last I heard, both black and white congregations. Sounds like somebody's got it in for the Baptists.

 

Yeah, I hope they hurry up and catch them because that's more than wrong IMO.

 

It's ironic that simply drawing nasty images on one Jewish synagogue or a mosque is "religious intolerance"and loudly condemned, but there's almost no outcry at a dozen christian churches being destroyed. Sounds fair and balanced to me.

 

It's probably just some dumb kids trying to get attention. Like all kids they will tell on themselves by bragging.

 

FWIW, our local news has been carrying stories about the church fires.

As for weather, it's still cold here. Supposedly, the snow is supposed to change to rain as it warms up later this week, but then it's gonna get cold again. I knew it was too good to be true that it was so warm for so long.

 

It's been in the high 70's here for many days, it actually hit mid 80's last week so it already feels like spring/summer here. I hate it to because I wanted to see at least one snowflake.

 

As long as any snowflakes you see go away by the 27th, I'm good with that. I'll be in Mississippi on the coast after then, and I surely don't want to see any.

 

It's no where as warm here as it is in some of the places in this thread but I am happy it's warmer now than it has been in the past few weeks.

 

Seriously, we have to go to TN to see any mixed precipitation most especially snow. It sucks not having it any, but I'm sure ya'll get tired of it up there?

 

Have they got the resort areas repaired enough for touristing down there, or are you going down to visit friends/relatives?

 

I'm going to visit/stay with friends, and also to work in the kitchen/food line at a couple of tent cities. It'll be at least another year before there's stuff for tourists again, and that'll only be casinos. They're not even planning on having the bridges rebuilt until the end of 2007 last I knew.

And yes, speaking for myself, I get mighty tired of seeing snow. Especially if I can't just stay in the house and look at it through the window.

 

Its great here in Vegas