Gift of RA

Seattle has a bad habit of having bouts of fog – mostly in December around Christmas when we used to spend Christmas here.  We seemed to have liked out several times – it was clear when we arrived, then the fog clamped down for at least two weeks.  All those people stuck in airports trying to travel.  Then the day before we left the sun would come out and all was clear.  Now in January it has been so foggy since last Sunday – I think, it has hung around so long I can’t quite remember.  This time it has had an added element – heavy frost.  Fortunately I have been able to go places later in the morning so it has worked okay.  If it is really bad, I stay home.

It seems the fog won’t lift, just hangs around and at times it feels as if several houses in the neighborhood ( those I can see) are on a small island with us and no one ale is there.  An odd feeling.  There are days when the Sound and Vashon along with the other islands are not there, we live on a very high peak that is a straight drop down.  Other times it looks as if there are no islands, just the ocean out there.

Friday was a very interesting morning.  I went up to the Future of Flight with Eddie because later he was to visit a place where he will do a presentation next month.  It seemed silly for him to come back down here and then go to the place, so I went up with him.  I took my journal and my books so I could write and read.

We found everything covered in fog and some slippy slidey areas but not bad for us.  But as we drove up we seem to have found pockets of high fog or clouds and thought it wouldn’t be too bad up north.  We stopped at Panera at Alderwood Mall and as Eddie turned the corner, he could feel the car slide a bit.  I didn’t  notice it and since the black top was black, I thought it was fine.  I soon found out how slippy slidey it was because I was sliding on the pavement almost every step – it scared me a lot.  I had to hold on to Eddie and even then I was slipping around.

After a lovely breakfast we came out, I had forgotten my trip in and realized I had to it again, only this time with a downhill.  Eddie held on to me and when we got to the downhill, I had him be in front of me and I held to his shoulders.  We walked very slowly – very hard for him, never seen anyone cover ground as fast as he does).  So I had to tell him to slow down.  I made back to the car in one piece without mishap but I don’t if I could have by myself.

When we got to the Future of Flight, everything was white with frost.  Eddie took me up to the back door , close to the building it was bare and wet.  then he took the car to his parking space.  He showed me a place on the balcony that was warm and quiet, so I spent most of my time there.  And I finally started my journal on exploring RA, then read for a while.  Afterwards I went down to visit with the Friday morning volunteers.

We needed to leave around 11, so I hit the pit stop and Eddie picked me up at the front door.  The most astounding thing was to see the sunshine and blue sky at times.  When we left it was sunny, but down the road it was fogged in.  Never know what it will be like in any given place.  In some places the fog was higher but not really gone, there were clouds above.  Yesterday was as bad though, most places had high fog.  As I am sitting here this afternoon writing this, there is sunshine – who’d a thunk it?

It often seems the weather gets into a rut – rains every day, fog for more than a week, even sun for 2 months!  That was really weird for us.  Unfortunately there is a burn ban now so we can’t use the fireplace – we need some rain to help all this.  Imagine someone in Seattle wanting rain!  You need to be a bit odd to enjoy living here.

The only reason I knew the ferries were running was because I heard their fog horns.  I would hate to be a captain navigating through the fog with all the traffic on the Sound.  No doubt they have great radar, otherwise we would hear the crash and crunch as they ran into each other.