Life In The Pacific Northwest
Memories of walking the market
Wood floors creaking
My grandparents walked here
Aunts and uncles, cousins
So very much of my soul
Looks at the westward view
Sunset behind the Olympics
Elliott Bay’s colored waters
Blues, reds and purples
Their history upon my eyes
Oh, I love this place!
Light moves across this city
My soul has grown here
Though the next few days look a bit drippy, the weekend is looking pretty nice. Actually, we’ll be pushing the Seattle comfort band pretty hard Sunday and Monday. 80? Ooofff!
Anyway, excited and ready to get outdoors? Or are you going to find a coffee shop or a mall with AC?
Well, it was pretty hot today. A real scorcher by Seattle standards. The temperature above was in Marysville, taken right after I got in.
I’m not the biggest fan of heat, but it doesn’t bother me like some folks. I remember getting off the plane. In Orlando. In August. The wave of heat and humidity was invigorating. Weird, I know. But it brought up memories of the Philippines. A wonderful period in my life. That was many decades hence. Yet it’s still in my heart.
Where I hate heat: when I’m trying to sleep. I love feeling cool. No logic. Just is. Thank goodness for fans.
Now the layer of grimy duat covering my cars each morning irritates my sinuses. That’s been adding an element of misery. Fortunately, my allergy meds work mitigates my misery. V_
Clearly, spring has sprung.
And, in classic Seattle, Charlie Brown-esque luck, after one last nice, albeit cooler, day, we launch into another dripfest weekend. Oh, we hapless Seattleites and our penchant for indoor weekend fun…or rain gear. We’ll need to utilize one, or both, this coming one.
May it be wonderful for each of you. Rain or dry.
We in Seattle have a unique concept of weather. Living in a temperate climate impacts the use of adjectives. Things like “heat wave” and (today’s Daily Prompt) “frigid“.
I’ve heard “frigid” used to describe temperatures in the 30s (Fahrenheit). Now, if you’re from Buffalo, Chicago, Moscow or Beijing, you might find that a bit puzzling. Understandably so. Yet, with some insight, it makes sense.
Western Washington’s average temperature ranges from 37-77 F over the year, with a mean of 54 F. Extended exposure to this makes for a unique view of weather extremes, especially what defines those extremes.
A quirk of Seattleites: this narrow range of comfort. Seattle folks complain of brutal cold in the mid-30s, and of extreme heat in the upper 70s. Folks from Buffalo are still wearing shorts in the 30s, and Floridians are wearing light sweaters in the 70s.
I’ve come to believe that this framework helps us cope with the length and breadth of grey days. So many transplants I’ve known struggled with the extended grey. It carries its own brutality. For me, though, it’s beautiful.
Fret not my geeky friends, for Seattle, and the Pacific Northwest are laden with comicon delights.
In Seattle alone, you have:
And there are events in Portland, Everett, Bellevue, Spokane, Ellensburg, Boise…
There are plenty of opportunities, check them out! Here’s my list.
Things are changing all the time. If you come across something that’s not here, let me know and I’ll add.
Briefly I went out
Enjoying this moment’s sun
As it fades to dust
Earlier this week, the dreary effects of winter faded for an afternoon. I went down the few blocks to the trailhead and walked. Got some good exercise and vitamin D.
Was just reading through a bunch of articles about cycling, all centered in the Pacific NorthWest. Urban cycling, bicycle touring, city planning, healthy living and how cycling fits into a sustainable culture; filling my brain with ideas. A big thing: I need to get out and ride more. Of course, it’s been been quite chilly here around Puget Sound. And such things challenge my desire to ride.
I’ve become much more of a fair weathered cyclist. At one point, the notion of being such horrified me. I was committed to riding, bike commuting, cycling as urban transport. A few accidents with cars (with broken bones and other fun) and myriad close calls, my tolerance for urban riding waned. Plus, moving back home to Seattle’s suburbs threw me deep into car culture. Riding became a weekend hobby. I hate this.
The desire to return to deep immersion into bike culture hits me regularly. It rebounds off of the suburban car culture, but bounces back. The overcommitted life, which is only manageable with a car, my 20 mile commute, the geographic spread of suburban life all factor in.
I’m also weary of the challenge of getting exercise. I need to block time to get to the gym, versus just walking/riding all the time. There’s a community around cycling that’s pretty amazing. So many benefits to the cycle-centric life, and I miss them.
I was thinking it would be great to fit in a walk today, but I spent lunch with a good friend and now the weather has turned to murk. Fortunately, I was planning on spending the evening doing taekwondo, so I’ll get some exercise to burn off the Bob’s Chuckwagon burger dip.
As could hear the rain rattling our skylights, I opted to check the weather. The graphic above reminded me of my childhood, where I thought that a “50% chance of rain” meant it would going to rain 50% of the day. Ah, growing up in Seattle!
Fortunately, it hasn’t rained 100% of today. At moments it sure feels like it, though.
I guess it’s time to plan for a full week of rain, though. I’ll be spending time at the gym, I guess, besides in the dojang. Wet, wet, wet…
Here is Seattle
The rain falls in January
Vigorously at times
Mostly, though,
A sorrowful mist
Seeping into your bones
Bringing an ache
Moving from your marrow
Into your heart
As we await the return
Of sunlight and life