How are the roads?

Disclaimer: I grew up in Michigan. I learned to drive in February’s inclement weather and find it terribly amusing/annoying to watch the region shut down for a few inches and seeing everyone lose their minds.

OK – Sat. morning – how are the roads into town? We NEED to go in and get food and get prepared. I haven’t left the house since Wed. I live near Battlepoint Park and will need to take Arrowpoint to Miller or Battlepoint all the way down to Miller or perhaps Tolo as I think Battlepoint was still closed yesterday, but I’m wondering how in the world Tolo could be better than Battlepoint? Please help! Thanks!

Carrissa

Just wondering if anyone has heard how the roads
are in town. My husband tried to get to the ferry
from Stetson Ridge and after sliding through 2
intersections, he came home. Has anyone been out
and about?

It seems to me that you don’t NEED to go in and get prepared. First it’s too late, sure there is another storm coming and the national weather service has issued a blizzard warning, but you can’t get prepared three days into snow fall and road closures. Second, if you really NEEDed to go in you already would have, the buses have been running all over the island this entire time. I’ve driven my Sonata around the island for days now, I only got stuck on a back road off of a back road, but you know what? I pushed my self out, it wasn’t that difficult and it took less than five minutes. Third, if you have an internet connection and the ability to post ridiculous cried of volunteer victimism then you’re probably fairing pretty well.

What happened that we suddenly became unable to take care of ourselves? After seeing terrorist attacks, massive black outs, martial law educing hurricanes, and crippling regional winter storms how is it that you still find yourself so adequately unprepared and unwilling to do anything about it other than post message-board topics from the comfort of your home?

A few months ago I met someone who expressed concern over the island’s ability to endure a major natural disaster. She was concerned the class gap has forced emergency personnel off the island. She wondered if the city didn’t pay their fire and police enough to live on the island who would be left to respond to emergencies? If the working class has disappeared from the island who is left to man the volunteer fire department? She was concerned the upper middle class could not protect itself. As long as posts like this continue I’m afraid she may be right.

Snow Day: Everybody panic.

Disclaimer: I grew up in Michigan. I learned to drive in February’s inclement weather and find it terribly amusing/annoying to watch the region shut down for a few inches and seeing everyone lose their minds.

That being said, to the guy idling his eighty thousand dollar mercedes 4WD SUV with new chains on all four tires into the parking lot near Pegasus… you are a jack ass. If you’re going to make a spectacle of walking on the treacherous parking lot ice and slowly make your way through the island’s thoroughfares you should have just stayed home. I suppose in someway this might be our collective struggle against nature in an over comfortable post industrial lifestyle, something to remind us all that we’re still alive. In the end though, it’s just snow. It isn’t news worthy. It happens every year.
When people such as yourself make a grand spectacle of overcoming the slightest setback nature has to offer, you remind me of the ridiculous hipsters that walked the streets of San Diego during the wild fires a few years ago. When I lived in San Diego it wasn’t uncommon to see the thirty somethings getting out of their Lexus sports cars donning respirators in an effort to show the world that they couldn’t be held back, and that nothing was going to get in their way.

One more thing Mr. Guy who idled into the parking lot with his overcompensating ride, you put the tabs on your plate on wrong, you’re not supposed to put this years sticker over last year’s month. It makes me wonder how you’ve managed this far in life being either too self absorbed or lacking such an apparent attention to detail and yet you are the pinnacle of upper middle class.

Running out of ideas here! What are you doing today w/kids?

When my daughter was younger and we were housebound, we would have an opposite day. So, on a snowy day we would have beach day. I would spread a tablecloth on the floor and she would wear her bathing suit with flip flops/cover up. We would have our meal as a picnic. After we had our picnic, we would have “sand” time where we would put several cups of rice or cornmeal into a large tupperware container and she would play measuring it into smaller cups/bowls and place her small toys into it. (I put a small plastic tablecloth under it – easy to wash afterwards.) Then we would have swimming time where she would paint sunny scenes on her body with non-toxic paint (I have quite a number of hilarious pictures that she has asked never to share with anyone!) and then she would take a warm bath. We did occasionally receive funny looks when she told people that she loved for it to snow so she could have a picnic/beach day.

Lydia

Post By: Carrissa

So far today we’ve baked brownies, made a fort, watched a movie, played in
the cardboard house, gotten the paints out and painted a wooden butterfly, and
played a couple of games on the computer not to mention all the other chores.
It’s only 3:30 and we’re house bound. I’m waiting on one kid’s
coat to dry and then we’ll go outside, but would love some more ideas here!

Carrissa

You remind me that I have a button box…something I played with a lot as a kid at my aunt’s house. She had a huge one! Endless fun sorting by size, color, making designs…

Also when desperate…let the kids play with some of your jewelry. Also cut paper into strips and make paper chains…can add to the holiday decor. We actually have a Hanukkah tradition of making blue and white chains…plan to make some more tomorrow.

Carol

Ok wait. Am I missing something here? What’s wrong with going outside and playing in the snow on snow days? I went sledding yesterday. I also went grocery shopping, so I’m not exactly sure what you mean by homebound. Your words invoke images of rescuing a writer in a winter storm and forcing him to finish his final novel. I’m also wondering if you take your family sledding down the dirt hills in the middle of a heat wave in summer? How is it that you have kids and don’t know how spend time with them? Are they so overstimulated with a multitude of events and outings that everyone sits at home and blankly stares at the wall?

Snow Car

Help! We are going into Seattle today and our “snow car” (i.e., Volvo station wagon) has a window that is stuck OPEN on the driver’s side.

Does anyone know any tricks for getting a stuck window back up? Or is there a car shop open on the Island that we could go to that would help us.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Anne

flickr

Anne,
When I think of “snow car” I picture something with tank tread like out of The Shining, or at least something with a plow perhaps. Your Volvo station wagon is not a snow car, it is just as it’s name implies a station wagon and there are many like it on the road. As for your window being stuck OPEN in all caps as you insisted you could always try typing “Bainbridge Island Auto Repair” into google and choose from one of the handful of mechanics on the island. You could also remove the inside door panel to put the window back on it’s track, but you don’t strike me as the DIY type. Have you considered duct tape and a plastic bag? I imagine such an atrocity is a major faux pax here on the island so I suppose the best thing to do would be to forget about your ridiculous “snow car” idea, take your “fair weather” car into the city and stop buying into the media’s hype. It’s just snow it happens every year we live just below the 49 parallel. This morning I actually heard the anchor man say this was “the largest amount of snow we’ve seen in about a year.” About a year? You don’t say! That would have been, oh I don’t know about last winter ago.

Holiday light displays to see?

Hello parents! My 6 year old and 2 year old have decided that they are REALLY into the holiday lights this year. In an effort to reduce our pollution levels from driving all over the place in search of spectacular displays, could anyone tell me where some really good (meaning lots of lights) displays are? We know of one cul de sac near the high school and also the grouping off 305 near Seabold. Any others you might recommend for the young and young at heart? Thanks so much and have a wonderful season with your families!

Let me get this straight, in an effort to reduce pollution levels by driving around you’re asking where the best and brightest Christmas displays are? Never mind that the bigger light displays waste more electricity forcing an increased cole consumption from our power plants. The island is only 27 square miles, most of which are forested area. Stop being lazy and take a drive down the handful of main streets we have her and stop passing this pretense off as being environmentally conscious. You’re not fooling anyone.