Nature's Christmas Presents to Mankind to Bring in the New Year

Even in the ugliest of times beauty can be found.  At the moment the weather is 35 degrees f. and more rain is forecast for this New Years weekend here in southern California.  So, all of you easterners can be expecting another snow storm in a few days. Here are a couple of pictures  taken during these wettest of times

Thomas Mullin of Mill Valley, Calif. gets a last look at the sun from Bodega Head, Thursday Dec. 16, 2010 in Bodega Bay Calif., as the first in a series of large Pacific storms move inland, bringing a promise of heavy precipitation and high winds. The thin high clouds ahead of the front produce a halo containing millions of tiny ice crystals which take on an elongated hexagonal shape, refracting the light.

A cloud formation is seen during heavy rain in Los Angeles December 22, 2010. Another round of storms drenched rain-soaked Southern California on Wednesday,flooding streets, causing widespread power outages and prompting evacuations in foothill areas prone to mudslides.

A halo forms around Mount Rainier as a thin layer of clouds and blowing snow on the mountain are backlit as seen from Seattle, Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010.While much of the west battled nasty winter weather, western Washington is expected to have mostly clear skies and moderate temperatures for the next several days.

HAPPY NEW YEAR