Wimpy Washington

The people in Anacortes crack me up. This is where I get to puff my chest and say "I'm a proud east coaster" because these folks are wimps! When it comes to snow that is.... So, we got a few flurries yesterday. And today, probably about 1/4 inch of fluffy and gorgeous snow covered the roads and the ground. Hours later and it is already gone!

But this morning when I headed off to the post office and the pool it was really snowing. At the post office everyone was whining and complaining and fussing over the snow. Two middle-aged dudes in line were talking about "global warming" and how it clearly is a farce (obviously they missed the bit about how climate CHANGE can also mean more extreme weather, the snow in Anacortes actually serving as a perfect example). All the lovely old women at the pool were freaking out about driving (the roads were fine, covered with a dusting of snow, but not slippery) and blabbing about having to pull their long underwear out again. It is very obvious they come from an area that really doesn't get much snow ever. So I walked around listening to all these conversations with a funny smirk on my face. I know and love snow because I grew up with it. So I usually know when the roads are O.K. and when they are not great. But these folks don't really understand snow, the state doesn't even own plows in many of the coastal towns, coastal Washingtonians don't know how to drive in snow, and mostly they see the flakes as a big nuisance rather than a beautiful fluffy treat. I must say, I'm quite happy about the snow and sad to see that it is already gone.


Moving along to another note. Jay and I headed back over to Deception Pass State Park for some more exploring. We saw some great birds! Does anyone care about our bird sightings that reads this blog? I could blab about birds forever. Here is who we saw on our walks: red-necked grebe (YAHOO!), bald eagles (everywhere), ravens, brown creeper, a kinglet (probably golden-crowned), goldeneye, buffleheads, great blue heron, laysan albatross (just kidding, making sure you are awake), red-breasted merganser, pigeon guillemot, and more ring-necked ducks. We checked out the campground in the park too because it looked really nice. It is only about a 20-minute drive from our house, so it would seem silly to camp there, but it was so awesome!! We may just have to camp there anyway. And finally, we headed off to some rocky intertidal areas so Jay, who works five days a week with anemones, could look at anemones on his day off. What a guy! On his way to the anemones he practically stepped on a snoozing Steller sea lion. She (we think) alerted us to her presence with a snap of the neck, a slow blink, and a gaze in our direction. We were obviously not worthy of further attention because she went right back to sleep. Then we were treated to quite a sunset, freezing arses, and baldies chattering overhead.

Red-necked grebe. Bad shot, cool bird!

Quick! Find the snoozing sea lion!