Vesilahti Finland pictures in January. A drive in the woods, Snowmobiling, Cross-Country skiing and Ice-skating.
Pictures in January -Hues of blue, beset with white snow.
We live 5 kilometers from where the children attend school. (Tomi 8 and Rosa's 6 ) The country school has 37 children. During the weekdays I drive them to school, and pick them up at noon. Here is what our drive looks like.
First we drive across this open road, enter into a wooded area, keeping our eyes open for white-tailed deer.
The 'prairie like' road
Today, the snow is attractive, glistening white. The trees demand our attention. So I have to get some pictures.
Our first stop! -off to the left of the road is a scene one sees in dreams or movies.
Do you like taking pictures in January, or any cold time of the year. Want to show them off?
This scene looks like from the movie 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe : December 2005' -Narnia series, when Lucy Georgie Henley, discovers the secret closet and enters the winter wonderland scene.
Trees near a field
Lapland, is only 1,500 km north of this picture looks like this, except the trees are 40% smaller.
After a 6 minutes drive, the landscape is wooded. We drive in and out of patches of forests, through breaks in the fields. Into the forest we go, around bends and sharp winding narrow roads.
It is noon!
Almost at the school. It is 12.00 noon.
More pictures in January, along the road
The sun is trying to peek through the other side of the woods.
Spruce tree tops
Got the camera pointed at the peaks of a small patch of spruce trees.
Clear blue sky in the background.
The frosty snow highlights the fine branches.
More pictures in January at home after picking up the kids from school...a view from our front yard.
Back home
Rosa admires the snowy scene. The birch patch on the right are spectacular to see in January.
The average low temperatures in Finland during January are between -9 °C (16 °F). Comparable to that of the city of Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.A.
Tip: When taking pictures in January, the weather in Finland is freezing cold. Here is a way to keep from damaging your camera.
Make sure you let the camera cool off in a camera bag for 10 minutes, before
exposing the lens to the cold. A large zip-loc bag also works.
I usually transport my camera bag(camera in the bag) directly from room temperature directly to the cool trunk of the car. Drive for 25 minutes, take the camera out and begin taking pictures.
The colder it is outside, the longer you let the camera cool inside the bag. That way when you pull the
lens cover, you avoid getting water in the lens. The same goes when transporting the camera into a warm environment from the bitter cold.
The cold weather usually does not stop us from being outside. Here, a friend is giving the kids a snowmobile tour.
Snowmobile riding
Three kids get a ride in the homemade snowmobile trailer.
Snowmobile riding for children
Going round and round in the same tracks. A snowmobile trailer ride in an open field for children.
Cross-country skiing is very popular in Finland. You can ski for hours or even days on the marked/maintained cross-country paths.
Where we live -Southern Finland. The best seasons for cross-country skiing is from January to March.
When going to visit Santa in Lapland, ski from December to April. That is almost 6 months of skiing.
Tomi stays on the trail
Staying on the track
Cross-country trails in Finland are usually pre-formed. They are the same paths/trails used for hiking during the warm season.
Cross-country trails connect between the same origin and destination. It is easy to know where you are going when following the marked paths.
Our pictures in January show a family friendly trail. Of course there are more demanding cross-country trails for expert skiers.
Off the track!
It is polite, to keep an eye out for other skiers, if you happen to loose your balance and get off-track! And walkers walk to the side of the track's, preventing damage to the track.
Outdoor with friends
After skiing and snowmobiling -- Our neighbors and nearby village folks take a snack-break sausages roast.
On a Sunday evening at 7 pm we decide to go ice-skating to work on our hockey shooting skills! We have the whole ice rink to ourselves. --And it is free of charge.
Ice hockey with our kids
Tomi left - Rosa is ready to shoot the puck!
Rosa aiming to score...!
...she shoots!!
After 2 hours of ice-skating and shooting, daddy is worn out. This is a simple and inexpensive way to give your children an evening activity, and let out some stress before beginning the week.
Do you like taking pictures of nature?
Capturing an event at a perfect time any in any of Finland's fours season?
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