Winter Hit, and then Reality...

Last week the Seattle area was pounded by a snow storm that started on Monday and didn't end until Thursday for most people (unless you had no power). We were visiting family down south and left for a trip to Ikea and then home to Bellingham after. We drove the nearly 3 hour drive home, snow falling and pretty good road conditions. Once we got up north the road conditions worsened along with the snow, and I pretty much knew we weren't going anywhere for a few days. We got around 10 inches and by Tuesday morning the snow stopped for the most part...but man did it get cold. The temperature got down to 0, and stayed around 10-18 degrees F for a few days which is NOT normal for Washington. Luckily we had no wind, or precipitation and plenty of firewood to stay warm inside. We were just hanging out at home meanwhile from about 5 miles south of us the whole Seattle area  to Portland is getting hit hard by a winter storm. By Wednesday Marcus and I were a bit stir-crazy, and since Benjamin had stayed with Nana and Papa down south, we went for a  hike through the snowy arboretum across the street from our condo building.

As you can see, the woods were just gorgeous all covered in snow. At least we had snow around for a few days before it warmed back up and the rain came back... by Saturday morning, you woudn't have known it had snowed at all. Back to 45 degrees and then it was flood warning time...


















No bad flooding occured, we did see some farm fields up in the valley that were a bit waterlogged, but nothing serious as far as we saw...so far.

Overlooking Bellingham Bay at the lookout tower in the Arboretum

THEN Saturday evening, we FINALLY got the official word on our move...

The countdown has officially begun...We have only 39 days until we depart for Japan. On March 5, we will board our flight to Narita International Airport and won't return to the U.S. for almost 3 years. We will be living between Yokohama and Mt. Fuji ( the world's most symmetrical mountain, actually a volcano, called  Fuji-san.) You can see this on the map below in the turquoise region called Kanto. Sendai is where the tsunami and pending nuclear disasters occurred (are still occuring?). We will be a good distance from there, however earthquakes will become a normal part of life for us (I will be electing to store all of my prized possessions in the U.S. for this reason!).

Though initially I was quite jolted by the surprising news that we were to move there, I am starting to look forward to the experience. Everyone we've spoken with that has lived there absolutely loves Japan, so that is always great and actually quite a rare thing to hear from other military families. Normally everything you hear about a duty station is negative. Overall, Japan is a gorgeous country with meaningful customs, an intriguing culture, and of course fresh fish! The population is huge at 130 million people on a landmass the size of  California, the habitable area of which is only the size of South Carolina! It is this reason that the need for personal space ( like uh, a personal bubble, one that I am very accustomed to having) has been effectively removed from society. Honestly, I think this is one of the only things I'm really gonna have a hard time with, that and the language barrier...ok maybe there's a few more things. The toilets....??...

The traditional style
(careful not to get your pants!)



or the modern style?

 





Really though as confusing or challenging as it is, at least I'm moving to country that has flushable toilets available...







I'll take it one day, and one challenge at a time....that's all I can do...and keep toilet paper in my bag...

 I have had a looming feeling of holding onto and soaking up every little piece of home that I can for the last few months, but lately that nostalgia is starting to fade. The reality is starting to hit hard, and it hurts, but only a little. I'll live. The Japanese people strive to live without fear, this is something I'm hoping to conquer as well!

Whatcom Falls, Fish, and Bald Eagles

One day we decided to check out another of many parks we haven't made it to in Bellingham, so we drove about 10 minutes to Whatcom Falls Park and were quite surprised at it's offerings. As soon as I opened the car door, I heard the rushing of a waterfall which to our surprise was about 50 yards from where we were. Around a short path, the first thing that struck me was the gorgeous moss and fern covered stone bridge, and then the waterfall off to the right. This park was just gorgeous and full of hiking trails. We didn't go on a hike due to the rather cold and rainy weather, but we did explore the trail and trout hatchery that run along side the river.

*One thing we seem to keep encountering in our Pacific Northwest environment is the vitality of local fish populations. Salmon and trout populations are the staple of the PNW food chain. They feed both omnivores and carnivores throughout the fall and winter, as each fish species has different spawning route and time. Fish carcasses that have been moved by animals even fertilize the soil up to several hundred yards into the forests. Over fishing is definite threat to many animal populations throughout the region. There used to be nearly 90 Orca whales living in the waters of the Puget Sound and now there are under 80. This is also due to several factors, including boat noise and traffic, pollution and decreased food sources. Unless something is done to aid the recovery of salmon populations, many species, and industries will be affected.* Great article on Orca's in the Puget Sound:  http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Animals/Archives/2006/Orcas-on-the-Edge.aspx

                                            Marcus and Ben observing a pool of trout fry.

                                  Some big guys (over 14")  Not sure, but I think they are steelhead trout.

A kiss for mommy!

                                                       
Back to that lesson about the salmon...Five years ago when we first moved to Washington I had read about a gathering of eagles in Northwest Washington. It is the largest gathering of Bald eagles in the lower 48 states. Each year as the Chum salmon spawn from November through February over 750 bald eagles gather along the rivers and feast on the weak and vulnerable fish. I unofficially had this on my list of things to do one day, and quite by chance I got the opportunity to witness this gathering of the bird that symbolizes our nation. On our way up to Mt. Baker (previous post) I had seen a massive grouping of trees full of bald eagles from the road. Their white heads and large size stood out in the bare trees they were perched in. Usually, I'll see a single eagle at a distance, but this time there were nearly a dozen in each tree! This sighting reminded me of the "gathering" and I knew we had to find a good spot to view them the next chance we got. So the following weekend we went in search. I found an eagle park in the area that proved disappointing as there were only few eagles which were very far away, so we decided to just drive towards the stretch of highway where I had seen them. My husband, the great navigator that he is took a random turn that led us up to a small bridge over the Nooksack river in a rural area....Bazinga! There they were, perched in the trees, on tree stumps in the shoals, and flying above and below. Amazing! I'm not particularly patriotic, but when it comes to seeing a natural spectacle like this, it's just really cool.  After all bald eagles were chosen as the symbol of America for their strength, beauty and longevity which is more evident when you see a grouping such as this.

I have since gone back to show some family members, and plan on visiting again in early February though the numbers of eagles is declining with the fish. Unfortunately none of my pictures are even close to good. I need a MUCH better zoom capability on my camera, but nonetheless here are some of them.

Though our time in Washington is getting short for now, we keep getting opportunities to experience the things we haven't in nearly five years of living here. With each new experience, Marcus and I agree, we are falling more in love with this place than anywhere we have been before. Maybe it's what happens when you have open eyes, or maybe we belong here. Only time will tell...

Interested in some Bald Eagle Fun Facts?:  http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/eagle-facts.html

Here are some great photos from the same area: http://exoticfarm.net/?p=5261

Snow Day

We spent the last two weekends further exploring the area around Bellingham, mostly along the Mt.Baker Hwy. Ths road just keeps pulling us in that direction. Two weekends ago we had some friends come up to visit us for a few days, they wanted to see the Nooksack River (from previous post) so we decided to head back up that way and also to continue in our search for snow. Since we had finally gotten some precipitation there was even a little snow on the ground down at the trailhead by the river. After a nice chilly walk along the river, we headed up the Mountain. The farther we drove, the more snow we encountered and before we knew it we were driving in what Ben described as being "inside a snow globe". As we drove I caught glances of gorgeous landscapes from in between thick rows of snow covered evergreens and coudn't wait to stop and feel the snow.

We stopped at a pullout along the road where I took this shot and fired off a few snow balls. I felt like I was inside of a Bob Ross winter landscape masterpiece the whole day!

After we made our way up the mountain some more, we found a place to see the jagged summit of some other mountain.

At this point the road was getting very windy, and there was a ton of traffic coming down from the ski resort up the way, so we decided to turn around and stop at the snow park to take a walk. The parking lot was so full of snow we were afraid to stop the cars, but we eventually found a good spot across the street and took a walk in several inches of snow to the campground. We walked along a trail for about a half mile and then came back to the river...it is one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen!

Ben made a friend along the trail.

The view along the River from the campground.

If you look to the left.

and to the right. Really, these pictures hardly give the view justice.

We all hung around with a sense of wonderment for a while, and tried not to laugh to hard at Rachel and Shawna falling down everywhere. Next time, we'll have to wear proper snow gear. My chuck's were't the best snow boots...but it was totally worth having cold toes!

            Also, we had the rare occasion where someone wlse was around to take a few family shots!

Overall, it was a great day...the best in a long time. There's something truly magical about being outside enjoying the immense beauty of the natural world. It makes you feel connected to the earth. That is a feeling we aren't always too connected to in this modern world of ours and would all be better off with.