From the Top of Queen Anne

When weather gets bad in Seattle, it is almost always reported from the top of Queen Anne Hill. We’re not totally sure why. I guess it gives a good view of the city. It’s sort of tradition. Maybe each new weather guy wondered why it had to be from the top of Queen Anne but was too embarrassed to ask the last guy WHY it had to be done from that magical mystical place of weather.

So now whenever there’s crazy weather, Dan and I always talk about it in terms of “something happening on the top of Queen Anne.”

This is a long preamble to IT SNOWED!!! A blanket of icy Christmas goodness has descended upon a whole region completely unprepared for the 2 storms we get each year and so we’re all kind of homebound.

There was only partial church yesterday for those with 4-wheel-drive. The rest of us stayed home, played “reverently” in the snow, sang some songs, and had a little devotional about the true meaning of Christmas, where Magoo shared his beliefs, “I know Jesus loves me… and one more… I know Santa loves me too.” I told him I was only actually sure about the first part.

The snow play was great. On Saturday I ventured out to return some not-so-great kids’ snow boots and purchase some slightly better ones. Dan commented on the futility of buying snow boots in a place where the kids only where them once or twice a year. I commented that when they need them those two days, they REALLY need them, for the fun and for the frolicking. I also added that I buy them 3 sizes too big so they last a few years AND that I was planning to buy them on sale AND use a mega coupon – and he was suddenly on board.

So the day after I got the boots we had our first snow day of the year and their little toesies stayed warm.

Now one thing we haven’t invested in is a proper sled. We used the laundry hamper lid and reusable IKEA bags last year but this year Dan had an idea. It involved dumping out lots of freshly folded laundry followed by some sweet slick fun.
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The baskets were fun, but not super easy to dismount. For the sake of Dan’s dignity, I’ll only show you his “before” picture. And he does look dignified, doesn’t he? At least he’s not the one who broke the basket when he rode down. I’m not naming names but I think it was because she’s a massive athlete so it wasn’t really her fault.
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What kind of mother waits to comfort her son after he face plants in the snow until after she’s taken a picture of his Hitler snow-stache? The kind whose husband is close by and who needs the shot for her blog his baby album. (I also think Chris is that kind of mom. Not pointing fingers. Just sayin’.)
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10 Responses to From the Top of Queen Anne

  1. Jessie says:

    I too am one of ‘those’ mom’s who has a camera ready before the comforting hug comes. 😀

  2. Eileen says:

    Hey! How come your church got cancelled in Seattle but not ours out in Poulsbo? Unfair.

  3. Carrie says:

    Looks like a fun day. Love the pictures!

    Oddly enough, there was almost no snow on QA this time. We have weird weather around here. And my guess as to why they always stick a camera there- it’s the closest big hill to all of the major networks, so it’s probably pretty easy to send their reporters out there.

    Enjoy the snow, and stay warm!

  4. KYouell says:

    We used to think the same type of thing when we lived in Sacramento: Why do they always send the poor low-guy-on-the-totem-pole reporter to Blue Canyon when the weather kicks up? Turns out that Blue Canyon, CA has some of the worst weather in the country. Maybe Queen Anne hill actually has some weather significance for your neck of the woods?

    We got snow too, but the kids seemed so cold that we didn’t go out and play in it yesterday. I kept waiting for it to stop falling and the sun to peek out — neither happened. Today the snow is still there and the sun is out, but the wind has blown crud from the trees (no mud and slugs, thankfully) onto the snow and the kids’ hands and feet are cold like they’ve already been out. I’m just too chicken to send them out there and then find I’ve chilled them way too much.

  5. Allison says:

    You got more in Seattle than we did in Portland. The laundry baskets are a great idea (actually, so are the IKEA bags), one that we’ll have to try when we have more than a few centimeters. However, we too were sent home from church after half an hour, sending those of us who’ve ever wintered in Utah straight home to blog about it.

    Oh, and I’m prone to taking pictures before comforting as well. 🙂 Love the Hitler snow-stache, and Magoo will thank you one day, I’m sure!

  6. Faith says:

    Looks like fun! Yeah… we usually have snow in Pennsylvania by now. It was 60 degrees today. We’ve been getting rain. I can deal with rain, but if it rains on Christmas I’m going to freak out!

  7. Awesome Mom says:

    I remember getting excited for those few snow storms every winter. Now that I am old I am finding the cold harder to deal with.

  8. Nancy says:

    And just for the record….from the top of Queen Anne….many traveled to church w/out 4WD 😉

  9. grammyelin says:

    I love the pictures. And I know I am way too old to admit this, but I still get excited like a little kid whenever we have a decent snowfall. I just love it!

  10. I purchase good snow boots on LL Bean in the late summer/early fall. Why? Because they sell WONDERFUL leather/waterproof snow boots for 19.95. Their original price? $49.50! SOLD! They are great and fit with our snowshoes. My friend was bummed because she bought boots at KMart for more money and they didn’t hold up.

    And yes, I would have wanted to stop and take a picture of that snow-stache, too!

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