Spring - Cards, WSDOT, and the North Cascades

 

Spring is here, my mailbox says.  I subscribe to WSDOT's news feed on the North Cascade Highway, and after months of silence, this showed up in my email.  Even though it said snow! delays!   The birds singing, the crocus blooming, the early daffodils.... There is no more certain sign of spring than talk of opening the mountain passes.

"Our Avalanche Control Team and the Twisp Maintenance Superintendent were planning to do the assessment of the North Cascades Highway on Tuesday and then it was postponed to Wednesday and now the trip is postponed until next week. 
We've got mountain snow forecast through Thursday and the Avalanche crew can't be in two places at once, so they're going to have to stay at Stevens handling the avalanche control there for the rest of the week.  (We did control work from 2 to 6 a.m. this morning and brought down a lot of snow, but there was a lot to bring down - We got 32" of new from 6 a.m. yesterday to 6 a.m. today.)  You may also be aware, it's still snowing along the entire west slope of the Cascades - as I'm writing, Snoqualmie is still closed for avalanche control. (They've been getting more snow than Stevens today as the storm track is heavier to the south and coming in low - Snoqualmie is a 1,000' lower than Stevens, too).
When the assessment happens isn't that critical - as a matter of fact, the later it's done, the more accurately Mike and his snow wizards can make their predictions.  The assessment trip is to determine how soon the clearing can begin and what resources (people and equipment) are going to be needed. 
Oh, in answer to the question you didn't ask - it has been costing around $250,000 for the spring reopening effort.  We are hoping we won't have to rent a lot of the big caterpillars (which WSDOT doesn't own) to keep the price down, but the reopening budget is secure.  Despite the budget cutting the Governor and the legislature have done (are doing) - they all said no to any cuts to winter highway maintenance.
I'll let you know when the assessment trip is rescheduled and then what they found and what it means.
Later!"

 

Shakespeare in the Snow, or maybe the Daffodils

 Hello from the cold! 

Bulldog barista Caitlin Rich has been very busy working on the costumes for upcoming UW Undergraduate Theater Society, production of Romeo & Juliet.   With a setting in a 1930's nightclub, which must have made the costuming really fun. 

Performances start Thursday, February 24th and run through Sunday, March 6th.  You can get tickets through Brown Paper.  Check back, there might be more photos.

Are Chickens the New Dog?

 

Over next to the garden magazines, the sustainability magazines are full of chickens, eggs, chicken coops, and more chickens.  Unless you'd rather pick up a copy of Grit about furry cows.

Urban Farm magazine settles on the very relevant topic of starting your seeds.  It's a little chilly outside, but the seeds will like the warmth inside, unless the cats push the seedlings aside and appropriate the sunny warm spot.

And if you checked out High Country News after my previous post, you might have noticed that they had an article on some of the challenges facing small poultry farms.

Revolution Will be Televised

Nathaniel Jackson dropped by, looking very relaxed. 

He was transfixed by the coverage of Egypt, and the parties on the street after Mubarek's resignation.  Reminded us in his deadpan way that now the revolution is televised.

Barista News: Camila has an internship

Camila's last day, posing in coordinating plaid with Julieta.  Camila has an internship, just the one she was hoping for.  Yay, Camila!

Bicycles and the other Harper's

Alas! I was linking to a website for this post, but the website is acting goofy this weekend, so you will just get a different version of the info.

Checking out Bicycle Benefits to order more stickers for you, noticed that they are looking for pictures of real people in real winter bicycling gear, ran across West Seattle blogger bikejuju who was highlighting photographs from the March 1963 Harper's Bazaar, showing two bicyclists watching a high fashion model prisoned in a floating bubble.

Harper's Bazaar is related to Harper's magazine.  It was started by publishing house Harper & Brothers a few years later in 1867,  a fashion magazine for the ladies.  It has had a long and lively history including the famous pizazz years of Diana Vreeland.   And now has many international sister publications.  We have the UK and the Australian Harper's Bazaar (shown above) as well as the US edition.

While Harper's Bazaar may have used bicyclist to highlight spring couture, Bicycle Times is a young magazine, and rather like Good Old Boat (not about luxury yachts), Bicycle Times is a magazine about city transportation bicycling for the rest of us.  And to circle around, has an article about winter bicycling gear.

So layer on up, and send Bicycle Benefits your Seattle winter bicycling picture.

Coffee of the Week - Mexico (Dark Roast)

Coffee of the week, Equal Exchange Mexico, Dark Roast, $6.95 lb.