Raincharm’s Weblog

Yes – we have a white Christmas. It has been white since the 13th. But this is legitimate. It is snowing as we speak.
We started a new tradition this morning (so maybe not a tradition yet). Doing the newspaper crossword before running to the tree.
Merry Christmas to all.

Even though it may turn to rain later today – this was my morning view. 

December 24, 2008

Notice that the car has not been scraped off, and it is still snowing.
I am not getting on the road for work this morning. I will try to do some work from home, but have decided to skip the holiday lunch and the driving headaches. I enjoy our work holiday lunch, alot. And those that go in will have great food and a good time.

Errands beckon, and final dinner shopping will most likely be on foot today.

Yes, one more post about the weather/traffic/road conditions.
Only because it is in the front of my mind, and recently in front of my face.

I went to work today, at the physical plant. The highways are pretty much cleared, and if they don’t have black ice, are fine for driving. It is just the getting to and from the highway that is challenging.

In the big city of Seattle they do NOT use salt.
In the smaller city of Sammamish, they do.

My morning off-highway commute was slick and bumpy in Seattle, and in Redmond as well (between the highway and Sammamish). Sammamish had a bit of bumpiness, but mostly just a bit of slush. And the morning was nicely light on traffic.

My evening commute started a bit early, so I could stop at the Honeybaked Ham store to get our Christmas dinner. Since it is threatening to snow more tonight, I was not sure I would have another chance. Of course, everybody else is aware and trying to do all shopping of any kind possibly necessary – tonight. Traffic was quite a bit heavier than the morning, especially if you approached anything resembling a shopping center.

On this drive I made several choices in routes, as we all do every day. Mostly I was trying to avoid heavy traffic. The first choice I made put me off of a wet, crowded road, onto a partially snow/ice-packed road, with a hill. My hill was going down, but like hiking, sometimes it is actually easier (more controlled) to go up a hill. Made it down, slowly, next two turns were fine. Parking good, ham purchased, back on the road.

Heading for the busy highway – carpool lane on the entrance, and I had a carpooler, it looks clear – that is until I got around the bend where first a ridge of snow developed between lanes, and then the clear carpool lane deteriorated into a snowy mess. Luckily I was able to keep moving and a nice driver let me merge without having to do any moves that might or might not have been pulled off. [They were probably just happy to let me in so I would not put their car into any jeopardy.]

Good freeways until we got to the exit – which happens to be for a major mall and a transit center. Again, I chose to go where most of the traffic was not going. But this is Seattle, so no salt has touched these streets. Almost immediately we are into packed ice ridges with a bit of snow thrown in. Making the first turn onto an even icier road, we stopped. My carpooler took this opportunity to exit the car to the adjacent park and ride, and hopefully a bus ride the rest of the way home.

So my next choice made after a few hundred more feet on this bumper to bumper bumpy ice rink was to enter the mall parking lot. Now, I knew the mall would be crowded with cars and people on foot, but it would be a level route to the next road I needed to get to, instead of going down a hill and up a hill. In the mall lot I encountered – wet pavement! (I bet they use salt) I also encountered many other cars, a few pedestrians, and a jackknifed-two trailer semi, halfway around the turn between the parking lot and the road I wanted to get onto. And after a few more minutes of maneuvering (and waiting through traffic lights) I got to the road.

A Seattle road – no salt, icy ruts instead. The next 4-5 miles home was icy ruts. I was tired of trying to control the wheel. Carl suggested we get a pizza, which we usually pick-up. I told him none of our cars were going out again tonight, and the pizza place was still delivering. Needless to say I gave the deliveryman a big tip.

To salt or not. I drove both salted and unsalted streets. Salted are definitely in better shape – significantly better shape. Seattle says they are not using salt to keep the chemicals from getting into our waterways and Sound. And it doesn’t usually snow all that much. A good sound bite, but I wonder if any real scientific checks have been done, and what % of the total salt load the City of Seattle is to the entire metro area.

If it snows tonight I may telecommute again tomorrow. What a wimp.

Well – shortly I will be.
I had to provide a few more shots from our wintry white.

Christmas Tree Outside - can't quite see through the snow

This morning – after shovelling. Well after doing some of the shovelling. I took my turn today, but left the driveway for the kids.

Weekend snow on Vinny, Sunday night snow on the pavement

And compare the front yard to the December 13th picture.

December 22, 2008

Off to work.

I stepped out into our winter-wonderland this morning and took a few pictures.

December 21 2008

You can see our front walk – which was shovelled, twice, yesterday. As of about 3:30 PM the snow started to fall again.  

Ashlan got some additional snow driving experience yesterday as she was out in downtown Seattle with a friend, and was to drive her friend home to Magnolia before returning to our area. Now downtown Seattle and Magnolia are two areas with significant hills, so we were a little anxious (she had the newest car).  All of the cars have chains (in the trunks). They really had not been required earlier in the day. As Rey and I were walking around we noted that while I had requested Rey practice putting chains on before his cross county drives, I had never asked Ashlan to even look at them. Her friend really is a friend though, as she spotted a bus trailing them that would take her close to home and got out to change transportation modes before they hit the higher elevations. Ashlan then only had to cross one good sized hill before arriving safely home. [Several years ago Carl had to abandon a car on the good sized hill as it just would not make it across. But he did manage to get it into a real, legal, not too likely to be hit parking spot.]

I estimate about 4-inches. Our part of Seattle did not get the high wind gusts that were evident elsewhere. One news broadcast showed clean streets where the wind was scouring the snow (didn’t ever see the drifts that must have been somewhere).

December 21 2008 - Snowman's back with new white trim on his hat

I know this isn’t really all that spectacular, but it is a rare enough experience in our fair city to acknowledge.
And what’s missing? The NEWSPAPER, the Sunday edition to boot. I like my Sunday mornings with the paper. Oh well, make some beds, wrap some presents and maybe we’ll get a Sunday afternoon with the paper. If it doesn’t arrive we will just have to hoof it to the store and hope they delivered there. I am assuming it is our delivery person that has been challenged by the weather, not the corporate delivery system.

UPDATE – Carl shovelled, still no newspaper. Rey got invited to go to the Seahawks – Jets game, assuming he could get there. So he took off on the bus, and last we heard our friend was parking and Rey was at the stadium. And Carl just would not be kept from church (of baseball).

Church 12-21-08 - Hey batter batter

and

SWING

And it is snowing again.

This story is just worth looking at (reading isn’t really necessary – no one was badly hurt).

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008541924_bus20m.html

UPDATE – thank you all for your assistance. It was the Marquis that finally gave me the clue, although I was a bit slow at first – trying to use the chainlink symbol on the Dashboard, instead of from the kitchen sink.

You will probably have to cut and past to get the link to work. I am not being successful in getting it to look like a link, a problem I have had before. But the weather report is to do whatever you need to do today, because then we are in for it. So I am going shopping.

Yes, we (Rey & I) did make it to work, carpooled in by our 4-wheel buddy. Roads were covered, but not too bad, and fairly empty of traffic.
Tomorrow should be relatively clear until evening. Seems like the last possible day to Christmas shop with any certainty of getting around easily. After that storms return, supposedly stronger than the last.

It has been really nice having the kids home.

Looks like we might be trying the commute today. Carpooler is planning to go, so I should probably go to.

So – today the snow arrived.

Snowing 12-18-08

My carpooler showed up at around 7 AM, but by then I had decided not to participate in the commute. He, however, is leaving for Chicago on Sunday and did not have what he needed to work from home.
I stayed and am at home, at least for the moment.
Carl shoveled the sidewalk, and we will need to clear it again later.
It is still snowing, and the commuting may actually be worse this afternoon.
So – out to walk a few errands, and then back for more work.

Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and cold.
Winter in the northwest … this year it looks like we could get a White Christmas.
Still a little far in the future to predict, but …. I can dream.

When
The forecast calls for potentially frightful weather
Carpools are arranged
Schools are cancelled
Traffic is remarkably light
Work is done
Home again, home again – lickity split (no traffic)

Anybody miss something?
No weather!
Well, there was weather. It was coldish, and quite windy, and it spit bits of precipitation out of the sky.
And if you were outside of the circle that encompassed Seattle and nearby suburbs – you probably did have snow – at least some.