You Know You’re From the Pacific Northwest When…

50 degrees - 10:28 am - it's not raining!!!...

I thought this joke was very suiting for today (and soooo very true!).
 

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You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.

Use the statement “sun break” and know what it means.

You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.

You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.

You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.

You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the “Walk” signal.

You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain.

You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see through the cloud cover.

You notice “the mountain is out” when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.

Look - the mountain is out!

You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, and Veneto’s.

You know the difference between Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye Salmon.

You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon, Yakima, and Willamette. Also…Snohomish, Skykomish, Swinomish, Squamish, Squaxim, and Skookumchuck.

You consider swimming an indoor sport.

You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese, and Thai food.

In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark - while only working an eight-hour day.

You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.

You are not fazed by “Today’s forecast: showers followed by rain,” and “Tomorrow’s forecast: rain followed by showers.”

You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.

You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots and parka.

Instead of wearing our hiking boots, we're wearing our Muck Boots.

You switch to your sandals when the temperature gets about 60.

You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.

You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.

You buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time.

You measure distance in hours.

You often switch from “heat” to “a/c” in the same day.

You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer & Elk Season (Fall).

You actually understood these jokes.

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This past week has done everything from spinkle to showers to rain to down pour, with 40+ mph winds mixed in.  It has either been cloudy or foggy, so the mountain has been “hiding”.  The temperatures have dropped to the 40s so I have traded in my flip flops for my Muck Boots (love these!).  But today… it’s not raining, the mountain is out, and it is 50 degrees outside which is still a little chilly for flip flops but I am wearing them anyways!