The recent thread about what it is like when it gets *really* hot in Texas made me think of this one - for those from the Pacific NW, you know these are true - for the rest of you, it may help you blend in if you visit. ;-) You Might Be From The Northwest If.... 1. You know the state flower (Mildew) 2. You feel guilty throwing aluminium cans or paper in the trash. 3. Use the statement "sun break" and know what it means. 4. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee. 5 You know more people who own boats than air conditioners. 6. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant. 7. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the "Walk" Signal. 8. You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it's not a real mountain. 9. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Fidalgo Bay, and Tony's. 10. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon. 11. You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon, Yakima, Yachats and Willamette. 12. You consider swimming an indoor sport. 13. You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food. 14. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark while only working eight-hour days. 15. You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho. 16. You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain,"and "Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers." 17. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation. 18. You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of mind. 19. You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see through the cloud cover. 20. You notice, "The mountain is out" when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it. 21. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots and parka. 22. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on. 23. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain. 24. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists. 25. You buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time. 26. You measure distance in hours. 27. You often switch from "heat" to "a/c" in the same day. 28. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat. 29. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer &Elk season (Fall). 30. You actually understood these jokes!
Well, there is a reason the nickname for an Oregonian is a "webfoot" :-D The state is divided into three sections by the mountain ranges, Coastal (wet and windy), Western (wet and cloudy) and Eastern (dry 'cowboy country' with lots of cattle and horses). Eastern Oregon is cowboys, but the rest of us are "webfoots" - plenty of cloud cover, plenty of rain. I've been told it is a lot like the UK, though I've never been there.
Welcome, Octavia! I love banana slugs. We get them in our woodpile sometimes, they are simply huge and really do look like a half-ripened banana with brown spots. Don't care for their smaller grey-brown cousins who eat my plants, but the there is something fun about the occasional big one.
