Snow day 3.5

I'm officially over the winter wonderland -- especially now that it's all turned to slush. I awoke to the sound of chirping birds -- they must have been hiding over the past couple of days -- and incessant dripping. All the beautiful snow and ice is melting, and a light rain is speeding up the process. Chris drove to work today after two days of working at home, but Oscar ended up having the entire week of from school because the roads are still a mess. Chris's parents arrived from Michigan yesterday despite the airport having just one runway open. Unfortunately, after driving Oscar to the orthodontist and then his friend's house, they spent a good part of their day stuck in the slush near my house. Soaking wet in the rain, we dug around the tires and pushed the car, and with the help of a pair of good Samaritans we finally got it on its way.

Rain and wind are predicted for next week -- so, business as usual?

Snow day

I grew up in Massachusetts and remember well the magic of the snow day: the anticipation, most of the time not knowing until morning whether school was canceled. Sometimes we didn't find out--always via AM radio--until we had already gotten ready. And then we spent hours sledding in fluffy white powder, trudging up and down steep hills. Heaven! I moved away in 1994, and while I make it a point to see and experience snow at least once every year, I haven't actually lived anywhere with snow since then. I was excited to have Oscar experience his first-ever snow day!

Panic began yesterday. Schools started two hours late and let out two hours early, though there was just a few flurries. In the morning, the line of cars to get into the Trader Joe's parking lot stretched down the street. Safeway had just one cashier furiously checking out a line of patrons stocking up on provisions. By the end of the school day yesterday, school for today was already canceled, and most workplaces made arrangements for employees to work at home or take the day off.

Though initial forecasts called for 5 to 10 inches of snow, we seemed to get the low end of that. But still, it's definitely novel and fun to look outside and see snow-covered trees. Seemingly everyone in the neighborhood headed outside with sleds, some even with just cardboard, to sled down the slope right in front of our house. (In fact, initially I was planning to walk to the big hills at Gasworks Park, but the proximity of our own hill won out!)

However, Seattle evidently is not equipped for snow removal, so the streets are still covered late in the afternoon. Few people have bothered to shovel out their cars. Tonight, temperatures are supposed to dip into the 20s, and icy commute conditions are predicted for tomorrow. No word yet on school closure, but keep your fingers crossed!

Leavenworth

Besides the Bavarian Ice Fest, Leavenworth offers lots of entertaining winter activities. My friends took their toddlers on a sleigh ride. Oscar and I tried cross-country skiing, which was a little frustrating due to icy conditions and lack of patience, but I had fun. I also enjoyed tromping around on my friend's snowshoes. All the kids enjoyed sledding on the super-slick hills.

We stayed at Sleeping Lady Resort, which has so much stuff on its grounds that you really don't even have to leave the property. It's situated by the Cascade mountains, with a creek running by. Buffet breakfast and dinner are included, so you don't have to worry about where and what you're going to eat every day. The food is excellent, and there are many vegetarian and healthy options, but I think everyone I was with ended up overeating. I routinely took multiple desserts. Yikes.

Unfortunately, despite all my eating I never got a chance to try the fitness room, but I did enjoy the outdoor hot pool. Nothing like stepping on ice with your bare feet before you slip into steamy water under the stars. We all played a lot of games. Sleeping Lady has a bunch you can check out at the front desk, as well as a game room with pool, ping-pong, and tables to play at. I mostly stuck with Bananagrams. The Grotto bar with faux cave paintings is also a definite plus.

I should also mention that the cabin-like rooms at Sleeping Lady are very cool. Oscar got his own loft to sleep in! The ladder was kind of scary, but it was very cozy and roomy up there. We've already booked a summer return trip, so we can see what the summer season is like.

Bavarian Ice Fest

Four hours northeast of Seattle is a famous faux Bavarian village in the midst of beautiful snow-covered mountains. Obviously, this place -- Leavenworth -- was on the top of our list of Washington must-sees. Purely by magical accident, we came on the weekend of the Bavarian Ice Fest, so we got to see ice sculptors, snow sculptures, sled dogs, and lots of faux Bavarian events such as smooshing, which is a race where teams of four strap 8-foot boards to their feet -- like cross-country skiing with four people on the same pair of skis. Chris and I entered the Bavarian mug relay. One person had to run to a hat, put it on their head and say "Welcome to Leavenworth," then run to a table, grab three beer steins in each hand, fill them with ice, spin around, dump the ice, put the mugs back on the table, run to a chair and yodel, and then to their partner, who had to complete the sequence in reverse order. We didn't win.

The village itself is filled with all manner of shops selling T-shirts, cuckoo clocks, beer steins, and all the usual tourist crap. But on the plus side, all hotels, motels, shops and restaurants -- even the McDonald's -- are on theme and have Bavarian-style signage, so you never lose the feeling that you're on vacation. Also, it may be mid-January, but it's still Christmasy. The Christmas trees are still up and decorated, and there are lights everywhere.

I found it interesting that Leavenworth was a former logging town headed to becoming a ghost town in the early 1960s. The citizens Bavarian-ized the town, and voila -- instant tourist destination. Willkommen!