Blog
December 25th, 2014
To me this season is not about a certain day, or even a series of holidays—it’s a collection of moments. It’s those moments that I cherish above anything else—especially when they happen with the people I love best, in this part of the world I call home. I hope your season, however you might celebrate or mark it, is filled with the moments you’ll want to remember always.
Merry Christmas, and happy holidays, from our home to yours.
January 18th, 2012
I’m not the only one who’s housebound today.
Winter finally remembered us, and for the last four days the snow has been swirling.
Today we woke up to a proper blanketing.
So all over town, people are staying home, and watching through their windows—just like I am.
Thank you to everybody who commented, emailed, called, tweeted, sent cards and packages, delivered chocolate, or dropped by to keep me company. Your kindness has been so wonderful, so warming. I’m doing fine, for the most part, and though we don’t have all the answers yet, what we do know is there are no broken bones or anything really scary. I go back to the doc on Friday, and hopefully we’ll have a proper diagnosis then, as well as a plan for what comes next.
Until then, I’m here, waiting in the white.
November 22nd, 2010
Three inches of snow fell today while I had my morning cuppa. Since the region has possibly the world’s tiniest fleet of snow plows (Seattle has a grand total of twenty-seven; you can imagine what the handful Tacoma’s got), and none of them are out thus far—’round here, three inches is enough to cancel an entire city, let alone school.
Despite the lure of white beaches and urban ski runs, I’m not crazy enough to try descending the hills today. Instead I’m spending my snow day close to home, so I can marvel at how strange the rhodies look under a sugar dusting.
On our rare doses of “real” winter, it always looks like Nature made some sort of clerical error—like the mailman dropping someone else’s holiday cards into our mailbox.
Instead of a blanket of white over a soft grey world, everything glows in blues, greens, yellows … and reds?
Yes, that is an apple, still on the tree—nicely chilled and ready to serve for Thanksgiving.
Let it snow!
April 12th, 2010
The sun came out yesterday afternoon, and Mt. Rainier peeked out from behind the clouds. On a whim I tossed my camera into the car and bolted to Paradise, where I had been hoping for one more research shot for my book: Rainier in the snow.
Well, I certainly got my wish.
An hour and a half later I was standing in the cold, at the highest point on the southern park road, and the furthest one can go before the snow melts at the end of June and the rest of the park opens.
I looked over at one of the few cars around me, and was absurdly reminded of all those winters I spent in North Dakota (minus the mountains, of course).
It was nice to think that if I wanted snow, I could come and get it whenever I wanted—without having to shovel my way out of it.