Nope... just a guy who played in a band on Vancouver Island who ended up at a rather exotic after hours party one time.
It's actually a really cool lake effect fog that happens when conditions are just right. It follows the old river bed, the cooler, deeper water. the southern shore is just as clear as the northern shore shown in the pic.
If anyone wants to binge some festive insanity, Sesson one of Happy! is blessedly still on Netflix. It’s all Christmas and it’s all deranged.
Couple weeks ago, I posted in the Rant/Rave thread about the SoCal weather forecast sucking dong the three days we were going to be there. It ended up being fucking beautiful. We stayed in Marina Del Ray overlooking boats we couldn't afford to fuel up, walked out onto the Venice Beach pier, ate lunch beachside working on a solid margarita buzz and then looked through the T-shirt shops which were classy as always. edit - Came home to shit ass cold/rainy weather. Why again do people like the cold? It sucks hind tit.
I hate the cold as well. Cold and grey misery for months. Snow is pretty for half an hour. The only benefit is it makes you appreciate nice weather more. Wow. So great.
Wise man says if you choose to find no joy in the snow, you will have less joy in your life, but the same amount of snow.
Snow is the only redeeming part of winter. I live in the southeast, things grind to halt when it snows here. It snowed less than an inch one time and shut school down for 6 days, plus the weekend, because it didn't get above freezing for that length of time afterwards. That's my only beef with snow, I wish people around here didn't freak because of it.
I grew up on the warm and humid Gulf coast and also lived in Hawaii. The warm weather gets boring. You get pure misery in the summer and some mild relief in the "winter." I love living somewhere with 4 seasons and some snow. It's like, there is more purpose to the march of time. Things change cyclically, I have to prepare, there are reasons to do things at certain times. The first couple years here I did not function much in the snow, but a big part of that was not having proper clothes. I can dress in layers and walk and get a red cold face but be warm outside now. I think I could get into cross country skiing. The SADS are real. I'm getting better at preparing for that too though.
Engaging in winter sports makes the season much more enjoyable. Skiing, snowshoeing and winter backpacking are a blast.
When I went to university on Vancouver Island, they grabbed all the non-rainforest living peeps and educated us on SADS. The school had snow one day in a few years, and otherwise it rained every day in the winter, and you would go 150+ days without ever seeing the sun. Depressing was an understatement. That being said, it's one reason I hate winter in BC in Vancouver or other temperate places... being cold and wet and grey gets old very fast. I prefer my winters like I had growing up in SW Ontario... a shit ton of snow, but bright blue skies and sunshine. Sure, you can go skiing in BC and get above it all, but I wasn't into skiing and would rather not have to go out of my way to get out of the suck.
I lived in NC for almost 15 years after growing up in New England and was always astonished by the reaction to even small amounts of snow. I get the infrastructure concerns for moderate snowfall - there aren't enough plows, so the roads get dangerous in a hurry. But a dusting that didn't stick to the roads and was gone the minute the sun hit it was often cause for the whole city to stay indoors. Logic seems to be totally suspended while driving, too. Not even in a snobby, "back in my day I'd drive through a foot of snow" way. Just peoples' brains turning off - once I was slowly driving down a highway during a decent snowfall, and watched a guy brake a little too hard and skid just a small amount. The guy literally stopped the car, turned it off, and got out. Middle of the highway. WTF are you doing? One of the local roads turned into a meme because of the incredible mayhem.
It gets pretty damned grey here over the cold seasons. We had a break in the clouds while I was out running errands yesterday and it about blinded me driving. Having full sunny skies all winter would be amazing.
Or.... don't live where it snows? I grew up in Florida and didn't see snow until I was a teenager. Did the whole snowboarding thing into my early 20's and one day I was sitting in the lodge afterwards thinking "I'm cold, wet and this shit sucks" and have never been back to the snow in ~25 years. Fuck rain. Fuck snow. Fuck cold.* Maybe like @bewildered said, the heat would get boring but I once spent 10 days in the Caribbean and having a low of 78* and a high of 82* every day, was pretty fucking awesome. *also, slightly hungover and irritable so YMMV
You're a beach and boat guy. So those seasons align with your interests. Beaches are pretty but I prefer lakes and mountains. Sand absolutely enrages me. Also, you have to dress for the weather. Flip flops are seasonal, bro.
When I was living at 78˚ north the sun set the 26th of October and returned the beginning of February. I honestly felt way better there than I have here in the winter. I think the cycling of light and dark or months of gloomieness has more effect than months of complete darkness. Plus seeing the northern lights out your window while eating lunch is pretty mood improving.