Cold Rain and Snow

Caleb Bowe said they "thought we would do something different this year," when he and his girl friend Melissa Escareno-Sanchez built an upside down snowman in Blaine Sunday , Dec. 13, 2009.–Philip A. Dwyer|staff photo]

One time when I was working as a yacht broker (hardly a glamorous job in Bellingham unless you've made lots of money somewhere else) I met a Norwegian couple up in Blaine to look at a steel forty-something foot Angelo Lavranos that had seen better days. (But that's another story.)

They chuckled when they found that the cafe was closing early because of the weather. The weather that winter day a few years back was similar to yesterday's: a thin layer of snow that instantly created a sheet of ice on every roadway surface, including the interstate. Cars were strewn about - a common site being the SUV with BC plates in the median or ditches. But coming from a country where everyone has health care probably makes them more prone to take chances; or they're just worse drivers.

But I guess my point is that the roads really do get treacherous up here in this corner of the world for the relatively little amount of snow that falls, and I've live in the Poconos (and other parts of Appalachia) and Sierras where much more snow fell with less treacherous conditions. Fortunately the temp will continue to rise, as the welcomed beads of rain coat the window tonight.

It was a day from hell today, so I am glad that I can write here and reflect upon the things in life that bring things into perspective. Now if only this stressed- and self-induced work related headache would go away.