The winter has been rather fierce on the North eastern Seaboard and the west coast. I woke up this morning to learn that Spokane has been badly snowed in with rain at the same time. The TV showed very sleek roads and slow traffic in Spokane. The North eastern seaboard continues to witness poor winter conditions. Ontario was in a state of emergency and weather advisory was to stay indoors so as to allow authorities to prepare for the damages to occur. The storm has now moved to Nova Scotia and Halifax area. They will get a big dump anytime now. I also heard tonight's news that Vancouver is battling flooding waters. But what is happening to Calgary? Well, we have sunshine. This is because all the rain that needs to come to Calgary, has been dumped in Vancouver. As long as there is rain in Vancouver, there will be sunshine in Calgary. Weather forecast says that tomorrow will be colder for Calgary but we can still work outside.
The reason is the chinook wind that will blow over the rockies and descend as a warm wind to keep Calgary warm. The chinook is a strong wind and is very dry. So everything in its way will melt away. Sometimes the chinook is also termed the snow eater. The chinook wind produces a rather defined arch over the mountains.Today we went to the countryside, it is about 2 hour drive away and we saw another side of the winter around the Calgary area. I was in Okotoks. There used to be a big rock there. But since then, the rock has broken into half because of vandalism. People used to climb up the rock to take photos and as a result, over time and stress, the rock breaks into two. Already when we were doing fieldwork, the rock is already cracking. This rock is an erratic left behind by glaciers of ancient time.
If you were to trace the trails of erratics, you will be able to discover where the ice actually extended itself. Okotoks is also well known for beer which my friends visited when they had the time. I was told the beer was really good. I didn't try so I will never know.Along the way we were captivated by the farm scene. We saw a moose on our way back from Turner Valley. The little town we visited was really peaceful and beautiful. The houses there cost about $40000 Canadian dollars but the first floor alone is more than 1300sqm.
The visit to the valley is most refreshing.
From the weather chart on my blog, I can see that Singapore is raining almost everyday. Well, I hope it will clear up as the days of my arrival approches.
Good news to share with all of you. My father is getting baptised on Christmas Day! Pray that he will remain faithful in the Lord and that his love for Jesus will grow each day. Almost three years ago, around Christmas, he accepted the Lord. I was on my way back from Calgary and I had this feeling that when I arrived that very night, my dad would be home to declare he accepted the Lord. He did and this time, he is getting baptized. Praise be to God. Gloria in Excelsis Deo!
