“No two snowflakes are alike.” This is a statement nearly every schoolchild has heard at least once, either while crafting unique snowflakes with a sheet of folded paper and some scissors or while learning a lesson on the science of snow. While even most scientists don’t quite understand what causes a snowflake to form such complex and beautiful columns and points and branches, one thing is for certain, the composition of snowflakes guarantees that no two will ever be identical.  However, it is possible for two snowflakes to appear to be nearly exactly alike.

A snowflake begins to form when a piece of dust catches water vapor out of the air. Water is created when two hydrogen molecules attach to an oxygen molecule. The two hydrogen molecules are angled from one another in such a way that they form a hexagonal shape when they come together during the freezing process; thus, a snowflake begins as a simple hexagonal shape or as layers of hexagons called diamond dust. The emergent properties that follow from the original hexagon are what differentiate one snowflake from another, as the humidity, the temperature in the air, and many other factors (some of which remain unclear to scientists) allow each snowflake to form in an entirely unique way with a seemingly endless variety of shapes.

However, in 1988, a scientist named Nancy Knight claimed to have located two that were the same while studying snowflakes as part of an atmospheric research project. And it appeared to be so; when put under a microscope, the emergent properties looked nearly identical. But while it is feasible that two snowflakes can appear to be exactly alike on the outside, they are never identical on an atomic level. Deuterium is an atom that appears attached to about one in every 3000 hydrogen molecules in the air. Because there are millions of atoms that make up a snowflake, the random assortment of deuterium in any two snowflakes—even in two that so very closely resemble one another—simply cannot be the same.

Summers in Virginia are always filled with community activities and backyard parties. As the days get warmer, more time is spent outdoors and hanging out with close friends and family. Most of these gatherings last well into the nighttime with the desire to stay outside for as long as possible. If you have ever hosted a gathering like this, then you know that most of it is spent in your backyard. If you don’t have the right backyard accessories to host a gathering, check out these tips that can help transform your backyard into a party worthy space!

Lighting

Outdoor lighting is the most important feature for any backyard gathering. It gives a certain aesthetic and helps illuminate your yard so your gathering can last all night. You can grab a few old mason jars that are just lying around and place some tissue paper and battery-operated flameless candles in them for an effortless centerpiece lighting on your tables. Don’t forget to light a few citronella candles throughout your backyard to fight off those pesky mosquitoes.

If your old electrical panel is no longer functioning properly, it can be endangering your home and everything inside it. Read on for the various warning signs you should be looking out for.

Even an old electrical panel is an improvement over fuse boxes (these can no longer keep up with the energy demands of today’s households), but if it’s getting to be a bit too old, you may need to look into replacing it. The panel is responsible for taking power from the main line outside and directing it through your electrical system.

The electrical panel also disconnects circuits when there is too much current flowing through — this is what protects you from hazards like electrical fires and damaged appliances. If you’re not sure you need to replace your existing setup, we’ve put together some of the warning signs that will indicate whether or not it’s time to move on to a new panel:

Anytime you find yourself wanting an electrical safety inspection, it’s important to know what kinds of questions you need to ask. A lot of the time people are stuck with hidden fees or things that they are unaware of due to the lack of curiosity. Even if it seems so simple, it’s always best to ask the right questions to an electrician especially when it comes down to your home’s safety and your family’s well-being. When you see the lights start to flicker or your outdated electrical system giving you trouble, it’s time to call for a repair or maintenance check. Having an electrical safety inspection by a professional contractor will help flag any warning signs that might arise in the future. So here are some questions that can prepare you so you know what to ask when it’s time to conduct an electrical safety inspection.

Usually, when we want to hire somebody we always like to know that who we’re hiring has had an education within that field. However, when it comes to hiring an electrician to conduct an electrical safety inspection, experience and how much of it is especially important. Experienced professionals not only have seen a lot and can provide effective solutions, but they also recognize the importance of high-quality performance and customer service. By asking about their experience, you’ll be able to determine how qualified that contractor is to handle your electrical safety inspection.

When it comes time for an electrical safety inspection, you want to make sure hire an electrician that has a valid electrical contractor’s license. This will make you feel more comfortable knowing that the person you’re hiring is educated and trained to perform a high-quality electrical safety inspection since they are being held to a high standard as a licensed professional.

During an electrical safety inspection, things may come up where the electrician might either want to fix or restore a certain business. So, asking about an estimate and whether additional work is covered is always a great question to ask.

It’s full-on spring, and there seems to be a lot of activity in the landscape lighting world. That’s probably because landscape lighting is generally a great and affordable way to significantly improve the curb appeal of your home. Landscape lighting ideas abound on the internet, and, since it’s a popular season for landscape lights, I thought I would curate for you some of the best landscape lighting I have seen out there on the Web.

1. Wall Grazing at Its Finest

Wall grazing is a lighting technique in which light is cast up or down a wall in order to let the light and shadow play off the wall’s texture. Wall grazing works especially well on this wonderfully textured stone wall. Interesting walls like this almost demand uplights to play off their texture.

2. Cinematic Pond Beacon Situation

Very bright light on this structure in the middle of a pond creates a dramatic, almost cinematic effect. Bright uplights on the trees give some context to the attractive structure.

3. Variations on a Path

Using different styles of path light can make the walk to the house much more interesting. Never assume it’s law that all your path lights match. Mixing it up a little gives the eye a lot more to look at, and the outdoor lighting design looks more calculated, in a good way. Instead of the string of path lights that come in a pack, this is conscious design that makes every trip to the front door pleasant.

4. Variation on Variations on a Path

Another way you can break the monotony of path lighting is to place your path lights according to the visual features along the path, like plants or garden ornaments. Setting up the path lights to be spaced a little farther apart and placing them in different proximity to the path – now directly on the path, now set back near some interesting plants – leads the eye farther down the path, which creates a spectacle and gives the eye much more to admire.

5. Path Lighting without all the Path Lights

Landscape lighting doesn’t always have to include path lights. Here, adequate illumination and very attractive lighting design is achieved by uplighting trees and using downlights mounted on the house.

6. Moon Lighting: A Supernatural Experience?

Moonlighting is a technique in which lights are hidden higher up in trees to create an ambient effect. Pretty cool!

7. Under Counter Lights

One really cool outdoor lighting effect is under counter lighting. Led rope, tape, or LED tape rope hybrid can be run under the edge of counter, stone wall ledge, bar, island, or bridge to create a wonderful lighting effect. This is one application in which LED landscape lighting works really well.

8. Water + Lighting =  Awesome

What’s cooler than light fixtures giving an almost otherworldly beauty to outdoor water features? This is my personal favorite kind of landscape lighting. It just provides such a reliably relaxing and comfortable atmosphere. If your home is your sanctuary, you might want to consider this one-two-three punch of water, sound, and light.

9. Shadowy Magic

Moonlighting can also be used to create cool shadows on the path. See that light mounted up in that tree? It mimics the light of the moon, creating interesting shadows on the ground and enough ambient light to see where you’re walking. Great lighting design.

10. Lit Up Night Time Oasis

There are a lot of interesting things going on here. The space feels large and luxurious, in part because that uplight at the back draws the eye directly to the back edge of the space, making the whole spread look larger. The path lights around the perimeter draw attention to the landscaping. Of course, the star of this show is the cove lighting used around the bridge, making it look almost as if it is floating on light. Yes to this.

11. Epic Landscape Lighting in a Park

I mean, this pretty much speaks for itself. The high powered uplights illuminating the tall canopy creates an amazing effect. Not only is it beautiful, but it also represents the dual purpose of landscape lighting: To beautify and to make safer. Urban parks can be dangerous, but this one looks even more welcoming at night.