Is This Snow Heaven? No, It's Snoqualmie.

Hopefully some of you have seen the movie Field of Dreams – so my post title made you smile.

One of my favorite things about our 9 years in Snoqualmie has been the snow.  I grew up near the water just south of Seattle – basically at sea level.  It took major snow storms to see snow as a child.

I believe we were about 3 weeks into our Snoqualmie residency when I woke to snow.  I panicked – wondering how I would drive down the big hill to the kids’ school – in of all things, a minivan and 9 months pregnant.  I bravely headed down the hill (amazed school wasn’t canceled) only to have the beautiful snow turn to rain half way down the Parkway.  Welcome to life at 850 feet above sea level.  You get snow when others get gray rain.

I’ve discovered Snoqualmie is a complete micro-climate in the Puget Sound region.  We have all sorts of weather – including snow – while Seattle experiences calm winds and non-snow covered streets.  We had lots of small snow events that first winter in Snoqualmie.  The following winter I had a gas-guzzling, 4-wheel drive SUV and learned it had to snow A LOT to cancel school in the foothills.  Well that, or power outages from wind storms or flooding in the valley.  I learned not to be a wimp about driving in snow.  And that sometimes the tv weather forecast misses what is actually happening in our small town.

So here’s to enjoying the beautiful winter weather.  Yesterday’s snow was just about perfect.  Enough to make it beautiful.  Not enough to keep you from getting around – especially since our city is great about plowing roads.  It’s cold enough not to melt the snow.  The trees are still snow-coated this morning and based on temperature forecasts – they could stay that way through the holiday weekend.  The kids’ snow angels are still recognizable in the back yard.  My Christmas lights have never looked better reflecting off the snow-covered house.  All of this with no school snow day to make up in June.

Enjoy the snow and the last two days of 2010!  I think it’s Mother Nature’s reward for putting up with all the wind the past couple months.  After all, there is give and take with everything in life.