December Views From Phinney Ridge

White Christmas Greetings from Seattle
I think it has snowed five times since December 13. Snow is not all that unusual. What is unusual is to have it stick around. Usually it is all washed away by mid-morning. Not this time! The first snow came while I was doing a concert on Vashon Island December 13. Due to a record low tide that night (I am told the moon is closer than usual to the earth) the ramps between the ferry docks and the ferries were at their steepest angle. With snow and ice on the steep ramp the cars were unloaded and loaded one at a time so they wouldn't be crashing into each other if they started to skid on the slick steep ramp. Made for a very long ferry ride home, and a very long evening. I didn't mind--it was fun being out on the sound in the snow. There wasn't a lot of snow accumulation in Seattle from that storm. The next few days were very cold and very clear. On our cold and clear days the Olympic Mountains are so clear that it feels like you can practically reach across the sound and touch them. Then, on Thursday it snowed. And it stuck. And it snowed on Saturday. And Sunday. And Tuesday. When the snow accumulates in Seattle, they don't plow very much. No one can go anywhere so everyone slows down and gets to know their neighbors again. Each morning after a fresh snow I skied through Woodland Park and made fresh tracks everywhere. One morning, when I stopped in the trees to catch my breath (cross-country skiing is a workout for an old guy like me), I heard the unmistakable clatter of a woodpecker. Looked up and there he was aerating a fir tree. Even though I was in the middle of a major metropolitan area, I could have been miles into the wilderness. It was just me and the bird and lots of fresh snow on the ground. This morning (Christmas Eve) I came face to face with a furry friend in a tree right on Phinney Ave. (See photo below). A short time later I was near the spot where I had seen the woodpecker and I heard a VERY loud woodpecker. Turned out a huge branch was crashing down. When crossing back over Aurora (the only alternative to Interstate 5 for getting through Seattle) I saw that a tree was completely blocking the northbound lanes. Northbound traffic was being turned right around and sent south. I don't know where those drivers will go--I hear that I-5 is not much better today. Maybe they'll go home and get to know their neighbors. This afternoon it's started raining, but not enough to wash the snow away. Looks like we'll really have White Chrismas in Seattle.