How are you Handling your first Winter in Portland? (agreement, state)

[figmalt]

Originally Posted by turquoise1

Figmalt - I've been through some of the worst winter weather imaginable, so unless you get down to 50 below with the windchill and 5-foot snowdrifts, I think I might be pretty happy.

That's not far off of what I grew up with in the high mountain deserts of Idaho. And I stand by what I said. This has been pretty mild for the PNW so far, lots of sunnier days, etc. It's not a good year to establish a baseline/normal for what Oregon winters are like. Some people can't handle the constant gray and dampness, which we haven't had as much of this year.

[turquoise1]

Where in Idaho?

I lived in Winnipeg for two years, which is the coldest city of its size in North America. It was the least enjoyable two years I've experienced. For me, there's nothing worse than not being able to walk outside for months at a time. Frostbite is not my personal cup of tea... ifferent strokes for different folks, but I'll take rain any day.

[figmalt]

Originally Posted by turquoise1

Where in Idaho?

I lived in Winnipeg for two years, which is the coldest city of its size in North America. It was the least enjoyable two years I've experienced. For me, there's nothing worse than not being able to walk outside for months at a time. Frostbite is not my personal cup of tea... ifferent strokes for different folks, but I'll take rain any day.

I think my point has been misunderstood. Yes, Portland is temperate, especially compared to Winnipeg, or Idaho. That doesn't mean that Portland weather is not terribly difficult for some people to deal with, and since this winter has been mild it is not therefore, terribly representative of what the weather can be. My first winter in Oregon was also not a good year for a "baseline," as it was the infamous winter of 1996 with record level floods.

I don't miss the snow, wind or cold at all, but I do miss the sunshine. However, I still (like you) prefer the more temperate winters despite the gray. Not everyone can get to that point.

(BTW - southeast Idaho)

[doggiemama]

Originally Posted by turquoise1

I lived in Winnipeg for two years, which is the coldest city of its size in North America. It was the least enjoyable two years I've experienced. For me, there's nothing worse than not being able to walk outside for months at a time. Frostbite is not my personal cup of tea... ifferent strokes for different folks, but I'll take rain any day.

Winnipeg? I defer to your winter survival skills!

[turquoise1]

LOL. I almost lost my mind. I had a rule - if it was below 12 degrees, I could not take my infant out for a stroll. I also had no car. I know they are doing lots of things to try to improve that town, but you can't do anything about that weather!

Most of my time has been spent in NYC, but after this little stint in the flat, frozen prairie, I felt like I hit the lotto after being able to move to Portland and not having to wear layers.

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by PortlandRocks!

You just wait until that 9 month season of gray skies, no sunlight and that constant never ending pouring rain starts!

Yeah, get back to me when that happens.

[khyron]

Originally Posted by PortlandRocks!

Oh Yeah?

Think your a tough guy huh?

You just wait until that 9 month season of gray skies, no sunlight and that constant never ending pouring rain starts!

We'll talk when you get through that!

Harrumph. .

Just to make sure anyone unfamiliar who comes across this thread gets the implied humor here...this doesn't actually happen. Not even close. Occasionally we'll get some loon in here who wants to rant and rave like a street preacher about the ills of the never ending gloom season and someone who actually lives here (and didn't leave in a huff the moment they realized it wasn't Los Angeles) has to refute them.

Portland has more overcast days than some other American metropolitan areas and may experience more rainfall than you're used to if you're used to very atypically dry places. On the whole though most references to this stuff are either deliberate trolling or uninformed conflation with other parts of the region like Seattle.

[HonuMan]

Originally Posted by PNWdreamin

That's what I keep telling my hubby. I tell him from what I've read on here, many people seem to go from dreading the "gloomy, wet" weather to actually loving it after a few years. Personally, I look forward to it!

While SAD is a real, chemically based phenomenon, I don't have SAD, and I suspect that many other people who hate wet, gray, cloudy weather don't have SAD, either. There came a point when I asked myself why "wet, gray, and cloudy" should be more depressing than "dry, blue, and sunny." I couldn't think of a reason, other than how I chose to perceive it, either consciously or unconsciously. I've always loved Japanese and Chinese monochromatic watercolor paintings, and I realized that the PNW during winter looks like those paintings, especially when it's misty. With all the evergreen plants we have here, there's never a lack of greenery -- unlike colder regions where most of the plant life loses its leaves and goes dormant during winter. I love the lichens that grow on the deciduous trees here, which you can only see when the trees lose their leaves. So I decided that the PNW during winter is beautiful, not depressing. I don't like being cold, wet, and miserable, but with the proper clothing, that doesn't happen. It's also funny that gray is now an "in" paint color for walls. It's considered soothing. Once upon a time, it was considered depressing -- suitable only for prison walls or office cubicles.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by HonuMan

I decided that the PNW during winter is beautiful, not depressing.

Like this?

[doggiemama]

Ahhh....marshy goodness.