The "Bise" Winds!

Up until last week I really thought the weather had been pretty mild for what I thought it would be like. After all, we did live through two winters in Minnesota so I really thought I was prepared for just about anything. The end of last week we woke up to freezing cold temperatures and our first snow fall! I L.O.V.E the snow! Something about it is just so magical so I was thrilled.



I got a day of excitement, I think, before the winds came in, dropping the temperatures into the negatives. It was always pretty windy in MN, so when people had told us about these so called winds I was thinking...ahh no big deal!! Well, I was wrong. They call the winds the "bise" winds. They I have never experienced anything like it to be honest. If they hit you the wrong way it will just about knock you off your feet and I am not exaggerating!! It terrifies the dogs cause a strong wind like that could just about pick them up and carry them off. Between the freezing cold temperatures, wind, and snow the poor dogs start shaking and sit on their behind with paws up in the air because their little paws are freezing making it almost impossible for them to use the bathroom. They won't wear little booties, but I did manage to buy them these little shoes over Christmas called Pawz. They look a lot like little balloons and they are supposed to protect their feet without all the bulkiness of a shoe. Unfortunately, we got the wrong size so they were too small. Eventually I realized we could cut them and could slide them on that way. Then we had to hold them on with my hair ties haha!! They are still freezing, as are we, but at least their little paws are protected. We have a friend bringing us some more next week so hopefully we will have the right size because right now it is definitely a process trying to take them out.

Anyway, when the "bise" winds come in off the Alps and the Jura and blows the lake waters up onto land. It really is something to see. The pictures honestly don't do it justice! It is one of those things that you really have to see in person. So, Miriam called me up this morning and said let's go take some pictures today...dress warm. We dressed in layers and I have never been so cold in my whole life. Like I said before, we lived through -40 degree temps in MN, but with the wind blowing at 30-40mph and the drops of water hitting you from the water from the lake, it was unbelievably cold. Since we were pretty much standing on a sheet of ice, it was hard trying to get pictures with the water hitting us and the wind blowing!!

You will also see some cars that have been completely covered in ice from the lake. Apparently these have been on national news so you may have seen them....it's just crazy!!

This is the ground...it was hard walking on this without the proper boots!

Windy!!

This was a manikin and a little dog that someone stuck out here!!

This is the front of a wooden park bench!

The back of the bench not covered by ice.

Here is one of the cars that is stuck!!

You can see the wind blowing up the water in the right hand corner of this picture!!

A drop of water that immediately turned to ice.

This is a light and I thought the way the ice formed behind it was so cool!!

And here are just a couple of pictures of the mountains on the way back home.

I'm hoping I can take David back this weekend so he can see it in person. Maybe the winds will die down by then.