As I plunge headlong into the grey heart of Winter...

...well, it's officially gone from being "a little chilly" to "f'ing cold". For a few weeks there we were solidly in the low-40s with an occasional tease of the high-30s... but starting a week ago this past Friday, we started dancing anywhere from the single digits to the mid-20s... and according to the local weather reporters, this is around 20 degrees below average.

What a difference a week (or 2) makes! the above photograph was taken the Sunday after Thanksgiving and it must've been around 60. The pic below was taken only a week later at the same time of day and it couldn't have been over freezing...

So since I have moved to the bulky gloves to save my digits, I have not been as apt to snap pics of my commutes, but here are a few from the past few weeks that illustrate how chilly it's gotten...  and as of this past Friday, the Charles has a nice coating of ice from the below 0 wind-chills of the past week.

 

 

This was particularly nice...Below you can see that the DPW was parked ON the bike path and was mostly blocking jogging path on the side. 

 

Below you can see that there is a little ice on the sides from when the temp dropped after our last decent rain... this is still about a week ago, so the Charles River has yet to really freeze over.

No leaves... :(

Below is a better view of the forming ice.

 It's now the Sunday before Christmas and I have yet to miss a commute despite the Arctic chill... and the cold I can deal with. Even a little ice is not a deterrent... but after the BLIZZARD we had last night and this morning I may not be able to get to work via bike tomorrow due to the narrowing of the roads and possible ice... I don't have studded tires as Dotty from lets go ride a bike has and seems to recommend; maybe if I ask Santa! ;) . This is a bit disappointing because I made a pledge to myself to bike-commute until at least the end of December. We shall see.

I was headed home last night as the snow and wind was starting, so I took the opportunity to take some photographs around the Harvard Square area of the impending storm... 

 

Bikes bearing the brunt of Winters onslaught.

 

 

We'll see what Monday brings... all for now.