Saline County Courthouse

The little winter storm wasn't all that bad, but it did leave the streets icy enough to allow me to stay home from work today. Which is good since I didn't feel like standing out in 25 degree weather trying to de-ice my windshield so I could slide around on the freeway heading to work. Instead I slept in, and tried to catch up on my Netflix movies (doesn't it suck when one of their DVDs has a scratch and the DVD player won't play it?).

But on Saturday night it was still warm out, and I made a last-minute decision to travel the quick 30 minute drive to the town of Benton. They have a fine old courthouse there, which is always decorated nicely for the holidays. The building is tastefully strung up with many lights, though they do go a bit over-board decorating elsewhere. Spread out around the courthouse lawn are several little holiday scenes, with Santa, reindeer, carolers, etc. The Grinch is featured in one, and dang if it does not look amazingly creepy. If I was a kid, it'd give me nightmares. Actually it'll probably give me nightmares anyways...


I set up the camera next to the creepy Grinch, and waited for it to get dark. It was a bit cloudy, I guess the storm system that would give us ice a few days later was beginning to pass through. As it got darker, the clouds took on a nice color.


The tree in the foreground had some lights on it, but weren't working that night. Later on I'd see some county workers trying to get them working.

I realized how cool the sky looked, and rushed around to get a few different shots of the building while that light lingered in the sky. This is the view from a little plaza (the lit up stones are part of a war memorial).


I hadn't planned on taking pictures that night, so I hadn't bothered charging the camera battery after standing out in the cold the night before at War Memorial Stadium. Of course, the battery started running low. I hurriedly tried to get as many shots as I could before the batteries died.





I took some pictures out here two years ago, and this angle was the one I liked best. I copied that one, just to see what it'd look like with some blue in the sky.

Just about all the cool color had left the sky, so I got one last shot before I headed back to the car...


Today it never got above freezing, so things are still a bit icy around here. As I type this, there is a freezing fog advisory for much of the state. But that probably won't be enough excuse for me to take another day off from work. Maybe the next winter storm that comes through can bring snow instead of ice?