Buon Natale! Merry Christmas!

Whidbey Island Snow - Day 11. More forecast for tonight and tomorrow but then we warm up. Yeah!


Mochie says hi.



Centerpiece on table--roses are real! I cut the buds just before the temperatures plunged. Interestingly, they are yellow/pink roses but bloomed white.



Our Christmas tree and presepio (nativity set).

Have a wonderful holiday and all the best in 2009.

Big Snow of '08 - Day 10

Just over six inches total snow on ground.

Junco pecking at seeds and squirrel tracks.


View of Puget Sound through trees.

We received over an inch last night. Even though it is pretty I am bored with it. Can we please go back to gray rainy days?!?

More Cold and Snow

Yesterday I drove to Seattle as it was the day my father and I were taking my nieces, nephews, sister and sister-in-law to the theater and dining at the Space Needle. This has been an almost annual event for since my oldest niece (now 17) was 4 years old. When I left the house it was only 17 degrees F. Yikes! It is beginning to feel like we live someplace like Chicago rather than the normally balmy Pacific Northwest. Our cold spell has lasted over a week now. Daytime temperatures will be just above freezing during the coming week but it will still be cold enough for ice and snow at night.

From the deck of the Clinton-Mukilteo ferry you could see the "steam" rising off Puget Sound. This is a rare occurance as it usually is not cold enough for this to happen. As you can see the weather started off sunny and bright. By the time I got into Seattle (roads were bare and dry from Mukilteo) it was clouding over. Our group (nine of us!) went to the 5th Avenue Theatre downtown and saw the matinee performance of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. When we came out at 4:30 there was about a 1/2 inch of snow covering everything. It made the lights of downtown Seattle really sparkle. Luckily, the snowstorm was predicted so there were not a lot of cars on the streets.

We made our way back to the parking garage by cutting through the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. While there we stopped in at the Teddy Bear Suite where this picture was taken. At the Space Needle Restaurant we enjoyed another great meal while it continued snowing outside. It was a little like spinning around in a snow globe. This effect was heightened as we rode down in the elevator. We were descending considerably faster than the snowflakes so it looked like they were falling UP!

The drive back to Whidbey Island was long but uneventful. There was snow on the roads the entire journey but since it was still quite cold it was not terribly slippery. It took about 50 minutes to reach the ferry terminal at Mukilteo (vs. 30 min.) and another 45 minutes (vs. 20-25 min.) to get home. The snow on the roads on the island was several inches deep especially after I turned off the highway onto Bush Point Rd./Smugglers Cove Rd. I did not see another car after I turned until just as I was turning onto our street.

We woke up to about 4 inches of new snow for a total of about 5 inches. It snowed off and on all day. Late morning one of our neighbors called to tell us that a pod of orcas heading south. This was the FIRST time we had seen them going past even though we have lived here over three years! Unfortunately we were hosting the neighborhood holiday party at 2 pm so I had little time to watch them. I tried to take pictures but my camera did not have a strong enough zoom.

Every time the snow stops the birds and creatures make forays out from wherever they are hunkered down. Today Dom and I watched a junco hopping up and tugging on dried out wildflowers which caused the seeds to pop out. The bird then pecked at the seeds on the snow before repeating the process. Above are some tracks that were left on bench outside the front door.

After everyone left this evening I noticed the lights on the potted tree on the front porch glowing through the fresh snow. It looks incredibly beautiful outside but we are getting tired of having to put on boots and coats every time we want to go outside. Usually we run outside and get firewood or go up to the garage without jackets and often in our slippers, even when it is raining.

Whidbey Weather or Not

It has been an interesting week weather-wise. We started out last Friday (12/12) with high winds from the south that whipped up the Sound and sent the waves crashing on the beach. Luckily our electricity stayed on. I think the storms two years ago knocked down all the trees that were liable to topple over and take out the power lines.


There were some striking sun breaks late in the day. I once heard this sort of image described as God poking a finger through the clouds.



Late on Saturday (12/13) it began snowing and this is what we woke up to on Sunday. There was only about 2 inches (max!) but oh so pretty.


On Monday (12/14) we tromped down our ravine looking for a possible Christmas tree. There was nothing remotely suitable but it was really pretty standing down in the shadows looking up at the sunshine. We saw deer tracks and a spot where the deer had curled up next to a clump of ferns. Snow covered everything except the deer-sized bare patch.


A close-up shot of the Olympic Mountains with snow from peak to beach. The temperatures kept dropping. Tuesday morning I went for a walk and it was 19 degrees Farenheit when I left at 7:30 am. It never got above freezing that day.


During this patch of cold weather I have been working on some indoor projects. Normally, I paint furniture in the garage. However, it has been too cold in there so I set up a painting area in our oversized entry. On Wednesday I cleaned up, put the dresser back in the guest bedroom and also recovered the chair seat.



Wednesday evening's sunset. Still very cold so not much of Sunday's snow had melted.

On Thursday it warmed up to just above freezing--34 degrees was the warmest I saw all day. The snow melted back a little but more started to fall. This submarine was headed out to the Pacific Ocean as flakes swirled around it. (Did you know you can enlarge any of these pictures by double clicking on it?)

We had more snow last night. Early this morning I was out walking with a neighbor and saw a row of arbor vitae that the deer have cropped. The plants looked quite striking against the white of the snow and the grays of the sky and Sound.

This "Monkey Puzzle" tree looked a little chilly, like it needed more clothes!

There is still not lots of snow but it is once more very cold--about 27 degrees today. The fresh dusting really makes it look Christmasy.

If you are just checking out our blog be sure and check back again next week when I will add some family holiday pics. In the meantime enjoy the season whatever the weather is where you are!

La Cena Italiana di Luisa

Giving the guests a preview of the evening

The antipasto buffet

The second course-Brasato (Italian pot roast)

The aftermath

If you wonder what I have been doing since Thanksgiving, the above pictures show the result of a week's work. The last few years I have donated Italian dinners for 12 guests to annual auctions benefiting a couple of worthy causes. Last night's was sold at the Meerkerk Gardens auction last February.

The menu was as follows:

Antipasto Misto ~ Zardetto Prosecco Brut

Prosciutto
Salame Genovese
Salame Milanese
Three Crostini
~with chopped tomatoes
~with walnut pesto and white beans
~with artichoke paste
Grilled Peppers with Spicy Oil
Grilled Eggplant and zucchini with olive oil, lemon and thyme
Pickled Onions
Olives

Primi Piatti ~Campogrande 2006 Orvieto Classico

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Butter, Sage and Grana Padano cheese
Capellini with Mushroom Sauce

Secondo Piatto ~ Banfi Col di Sasso 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon & Sangiovese e/o A Mano 2006 Primitivo

Brasato (Italian Pot Roast)
Roast Potatoes
Roast Vegetables with Balsamic Vinegar –
Carrots, parsnips and Brussel sprouts

Dolce ~ Falchini Vin Santo del Chianti
e/o Liquore di Limone di Sorrento

Mixed Gelato ~ marsala wine and chocolate
Biscotti with walnuts, chocolate chips and orange

It was all cooked from scratch by yours truly. I even made the squash ravioli!

While I enjoy doing it, the dinners are an incredible amount of work. It takes 4-5 days to prepare everything and then I and a helper cart everything to the winning bidder's home, finish cooking, serve and cleanup. However this one was loads of fun especially as I and my helper knew a number of the guests. It was also the first I have done on Whidbey Island so the trip home afterwards was less than a half hour. Now that it is over I feel like I can finally concentrate on Christmas.

I will be posting some of these recipes on this blog in the near future.