Moment to (b-r-r-r-r-r) Moment ...

The day started nice enough; a little rain, mild. I even wore open-toed shoes--silly moi--but then about 3 hours ago, the snow started falling. I was caught totally unprepared for SNOW! I had houses to show and errands to run! I have a MIATA, not a 4WD!




One of the gals here in the office said Farmer's Almanac, an ap she has on her iPhone, has been forecasting it for some time! But it completely caught me by surprise! Where are my mukaluks? Where is my fur-lined hooded jacket? Open-toed shoes and a flimsy raincoat? WHAT WAS I THINKING????


Here's my trusty Snowmobile, starting to disappear under a layer of snow. I was totally ill-equipped for weather of this sort today. One would think 5 years after departing the Land of No-Weather to live in the Pacific Northwest, I would have learned a thing or two.

Clearly I should have stayed home, warm and snug as a bug, playing with my bits of shells, and beads and snuggling with Mz. Suki m'mutt.

It's starting to get dark and the snow's still falling. I'd better get home before that insidious white stuff forces me to spend the night at the office; although I spend enough time here that people have already joshed me about the cot and the bedroll I have in the back.



What will the morrow bring, eh? At least I'll dress more appropriately for the weather du jour!

Yup, I'd best get along li'l doggie; as in a full team of Huskies, right?!!

Beautiful music for a worthy cause ...

A Classical Piano Recital

by

Milica Jelaca Jovanovic
Assistant Professor of Piano
Western Washington University

Saturday, February 21
7:30 PM
Blaine Performing Arts Center
Blaine School Campus
975 H Street - Blaine WA

Milica will be performing
Works by Bach, Liszt, Schubert and Schumann

Admission by Donation
Non-perishable food items or cash/check
to the Blaine Food Bank

Lovin' comes in such unanticipated forms ...

I have had a lifelong love affair with words. I rejoice that they come between two hardback or paperback covers; splashed across huge billboards; on T-shirts; on homemade greeting cards; in family histories and photo album captions; tucked in e-mail; on Facebook; on a huge teleprompter in Time Square; painted on the sides of buildings; written across the sky from planes; scribbled on blue-lined 3-ring binder sheets of paper or yellow legal pads; or hastily jotted on greasy diner white paper napkins; across Scrabble boards; tucked in children's lunch boxes and husband's inside suit pockets. Words are everywhere. Don't you love 'em?

I love chatting with friends about what they're reading or writing; I thoroughly enjoyed talking with Aunt Helen this morning about the book she's currently reading (She's 86!) I just made a new friend today and we're sharing our written words with each other.

This week the mobile library not only brought "words" available to any who pulled open the bus door and climbed inside, but they did it with loving panache!

Tell a librarian you love them!

Happy Valentine's Day!

How Sweet It Is, indeedy ...

The Blaine Fine Arts Association Arts & Jazz annual fundraiser realized $9500 that will go toward furthering the fine art education and experiences of the art, choir, band, and performing arts students of Blaine School.

There will be more details in next week's The Northern Light, with a letter to the community from Christy Imperio, current BFAA president.

A huge thank you to everyone who came out and showed how much they cared about providing for art education possibilities beyond what the school could budget. Tough economic times for so many, but what a good feeling to see so many come out in support of our students.

Day-dreaming in hot pink ...

4 pm and I’m gazing out at the beach from my office desk. It’s been a pleasant day; warm enough and sunny enough--relative terms--so that some people are out walking, or riding their bikes; kids are getting off the school bus and walking home; afternoon traffic is increasing; seagulls are banking and dropping their clams on the street for a bit of clam sushi.

I wish I had a bike. I would, without a doubt, make a comical picture: a dumpling of an ol’ matron, toodling along on her hot pink bike—I saw this Schwinn in Hawaii and it obviously stuck in the nether regions of my mind. I can imagine the feel of the wind in my face, not balmy, but a nice change from being cooped indoors, the adenalin rush of forward motion. Thank goodness daylight is lengthening. A month ago and it would now be dusk, threatening dark of nighttime. Yes, indeedy … methinks I'll get a bike. Some things are more imperative than a proper, respectable image!

Sunset Groupies ...

Again, me with no camera. So, I'm rushing out to capture the sunset du jour with my humble little phone.

As I'm out at the far side of the road, I encounter a woman getting out of her van with her digital camera pointing the same direction as my phone.

"Hi, Kay."

"Hello, Chris. Great sunset, no?"

"Just can't get enough of 'em!"

"Me neither."

"See ya around."

"Take care!"

Sunset groupies ... doncha love it!

In the 30 minutes or so of prime sun setting, at least three others pulled into the parking lot or the side of the road and clicked away.

So, here's tonight's sunset showing ...

Sunset re-visit and misc ...

This photograph was the tail end of the other three sunset photographs I posted last night. Incredible the different smoldering red color in a span of just 15 minutes, no? Just another Birch Bay de-light! I took the pix after the office was locked up and I refused to allow myself to unlock everything, boot the computer, etc., just to post this photo.

So, here it is.

Wonder what kind of sunset we'll experience tonight?

Now at 2:30p.m., it is about 55 degrees .... downright balmy!

Speaking of balmy, I chatted with a friend, Jim Lucas, as I attempted to clean my v-e-r-y dirty Miata at the Blaine car wash this afternoon. He related he had spent Christmas with his family in Florida and was headed back there Tuesday. He rubbed it in, with a twinkle in his eye, that they spent every day splashing around at the beach in 80+ degree weather. I well remember the fine white sand and gorgeous shells on the beaches in Florida; quite different from the coarse, brown sand and cobble we know and love here in Birch Bay.

There's a Night Beach Walk at Semiahmoo with the Beach Naturalists this Friday, Feb 6 from 7-9 pm. Bring your flashlight, rubber boots and layered warm clothing! More information, along with photographs (not mine) can be found on the Beach Naturalist web page at http://www.re-sources.org/.

I have no discipline whatsoever ...

OK, so I'm leaving the office and the water looks so silvery as the sun continues to set.

I can't help myself, I tell ya! I can't! Just one more shot ... ok ... so I'll take two more clicks. This is IT!

I'm done for the day!

From a different perspective

I usually capture sunsets from outside ... but I'm rushing around like a fool trying to accomplish everything before I high-tail it out of here at Century 21 Bay Properties for the day.

Business has been on the upswing of late. Only have time for a quickie Treo shot of the glorious setting sun.

It was a gorgeous day here on the bay, and relatively warm, this 3rd day of February. Can you believe it? February 3rd!

So, here's the sunset wrapping up the day.