On my window sill, I have a baby food jar of stuff that looks like grayish talcum powder. Its ash from the eruption of Mount St. Helens in May 1980. I was a student at the University of Idaho in the northern panhandle. We had over six inches of ash dumped on us. Unlike snow, ash doesn't melt. It can be a real delight to drive in and makes keeping your apartment clean difficult. Fortunately, I wasn't too worried about those things then. :-) I found a Mount St. Helen's webcam that gives you static pictures taken every 5 minutes.