Spring

There is no denying it, Spring is on the way. Now I have been told by 100 people that I am wrong and that at any moment we still could have (and we need) 100 inches of snow, but Mother Earth herself has given up her struggle to hold back and has released Spring, as a gift to us, in the air.

Each day I see a new sign, a bird here, a chipmunk there, the owl has returned and so have the yappy blue jays. Nature knows that winter is on the way out. While we still may have quite a bit of snow in March (an usually ugly month in Washington), Spring is on it's way. The biggest sign and also the advancer of Spring is the sunlight in the village. Each day the sun rises a bit higher and higher over the mountains. Last Friday I noticed, for the first time direct, morning sun glowing on the chalets. This was the first time that the sun had risen above the ridge and before the sun tucked itself behind Buckskin Mountain till noon. Next week brings the day that we all have been looking forward too; the day that cinches it all - SOB Day (Sun Over Buckskin).

SOB Day is when the sun no longer dips behind the peak of that big mountain but flies like a kite right over the top to bring us sun for hours at a time. The village turns a bit crazy that day. We put on shorts and flip flops, Hawaiian shirts and bathing suits. We barbecue lunch outdoors, drink Mimosas (with real champagne) and dance in the street to the Beach Boys. We laugh and cheer because we have survived another winter in the mountains and we KNOW that Spring is on the way. (Watch for SOB pictures next week)