SNOW DOG: A reader in Palmer, Alaska, knew just what we were
talking about when we asked about a rainbow someone had seen in the
winter – He had called it a “snowbow.”

Jef Harvey wrote us, “In reference to your mention of a
‘snowbow,’ I’ve seen those here in Alaska, and have been informed
they are actually called ‘snow dogs’ … If you google those words,
you will find many beautiful images.”

We took his advice and, as anyone familiar with the quirkiness
of the Internet knows, came upon a photo of a Labrador retriever
covered with ice. Nice shot, of course, but not what we had in
mind.

With a little persistence, we were able to see a stunning photo
of a “snowbow” at sunset on the tundra. It’s worth a google.

Strange things do happen and not just in the atmosphere when the
temperatures drops precipitously. That same winter of 1978-79 we’ve
written about was the season when it was below zero for many
straight days in Bradford. Try turning the wheel of a car when it’s
20 below zero. Even at zero, steam from chimneys hovers near the
horizon – almost as if it, too, were frozen in place.

Or was that the following winter? If you remember, let us
know.

SNOW NAMES: While we’re on the subject – and what else do we
have to do on Jan. 8 but ponder such inanities? – we were
discussing in December the many names that Eskimos supposedly have
for snow.

They reportedly differentiate between the forms of snow and have
distinct names for “wet snow,” “powder,” “big flakes,” etc. In
their native tongue there apparently are something like 30
different types of snow.

We were wondering how many varieties of snow our readers could
come up with. Want to give it a shot?

(And, yes, we can come up with our own names for snow but
nothing we can print in a family newspaper.)

UFO QUERY: While we’re on the subject of things “up there,” we
got this inquiry in December from Priscilla Davis of Palos Heights,
Ill., a former Roulette resident: “Looking for UFO sightings
1980-1983 … in particular, “a sighting documented by the Bradford
Airport. This sighting would have included activity in Roulette,
Pa., in this time frame.”

If you know, give us a call and we’ll pass along contact
information.