RAIN IN WASHINGTON:Why so many differing opinions? (school, live in)

[carolochs]

Could be.....

Personally, no matter how used I am to being my own boss, or boss of any situation, I always feel deferential in a new environment or situation, and lay back, scope people out before I open my own mouth. Especially in a new neighborhood, I approach it as I need to prove myself to neighbors because they are surely watching, waiting to see if we have barking dogs, loud music, drive too fast, or run to the mailbox naked...heh heh.

[pikabike]

I get real tired of the assumption that people from certain areas all use pot or look favorably on it.

When someone here suggested that "it's legal to buy it from a store now" as a hint to me (to use as a pain reliever that I didn't even need...must have thought I was in favor of supporting the industry, LOL), I simply said I wasn't interested.

Some things are not worth discussing with others; they are personal choices.

[pikabike]

Running to the mailbox naked would be a piece of cake. I really don't think most in this neighborhood would care much, though they would think you were a bit daffy.

Many of us, myself included, go outside in our yards wearing bathrobes or PJs, and at least three households sometimes go to the mailboxes in long undies or nightrobe. Nice to live on a dead end street.

[carolochs]

Aside from the rain....I'm curious how many transplants to WA, if any, tire of the forest settings like they tire of the weather, or how long till you stopped going out and doing things outside, all because of weather??? How long till the "I live in the Shire!" novelty wore-off?

We've never let rain, or fog, or gloomy weather stop us here in San Diego winters from going out and enjoying all the outdoor stuff we like to do. In fact we prefer that kind of weather as it means a lot of other people STAY HOME, so less crowds to deal with, less busy trails! And I sure as heck don't care about getting my hair wet...not a "hair-do" kinda gal.

So I *think* I'm not going to be the kind of person who holes up for 9 months out of the year and gains 100 lbs. just because of gloom and drizzle. I like my outdoor activities, wet or not.

Others' experiences?????

[pikabike]

Depends on the activity.

Going for a walk on the beach or in town is pleasant in drizzle or light rain.

Going for a rainy forest hike, not for me. It just feels too drippy gloomy tentacley. Ditto bicycling in the rain, forest or not.

But kayaking in the rain is fine. We have to dress for cold and wet anyway, so why not. It definitely reduces the crowd factor.

Ultimately, I prefer dryer over wetter. But I don't let the rain keep me cooped up. No way!

[notnamed]

Yeah, going out on a sunny day for a hike at one of the popular spots even last year was tolerable. Now it's gotten to the point where finding parking at a trailhead is a major issue. Thankfully that all dies down in fall and some of the best hiking is on a gloomy/drizzly day.

This is crazy, and another reason for the transplant resentment.
At Multnomah Falls.

[PS90]

Originally Posted by carolochs

Aside from the rain....I'm curious how many transplants to WA, if any, tire of the forest settings like they tire of the weather, or how long till you stopped going out and doing things outside, all because of weather??? How long till the "I live in the Shire!" novelty wore-off?

We've never let rain, or fog, or gloomy weather stop us here in San Diego winters from going out and enjoying all the outdoor stuff we like to do. In fact we prefer that kind of weather as it means a lot of other people STAY HOME, so less crowds to deal with, less busy trails! And I sure as heck don't care about getting my hair wet...not a "hair-do" kinda gal.

So I *think* I'm not going to be the kind of person who holes up for 9 months out of the year and gains 100 lbs. just because of gloom and drizzle. I like my outdoor activities, wet or not.

Others' experiences?????

Again, this is just my opinion about how the rain affected me, and probably is not indicative of anyone else - when I moved to Western Washington from Eastern Washington, I assumed that I would be able to do tons of outdoor activities that I couldn't do before. In Eastern WA, there are days in the summer when it's simply too hot to be outside, or days in the winter when it is either too cold or too snowy to be outside. Therefore, since the temps we more moderate in Western WA, and snow was minimal, I assumed that people were outside doing stuff almost constantly.

Fast-forward three years, and I realized that many more people in Western WA are into watching movies, and doing other indoor stuff than anyone I'd known before (maybe it's just the urban vs. rural thing. IDK), and the ones that do go outside tend to do the sprint-from-car-to-shelter-with-a-newspaper-over-your-head thing.

Now that I live on the Dry Side again, we are outside much more often.

Again, it's all relative. I realized that I hate rain and, between the terrible weather and the traffic, will never live over there again. I assume, however, that this affects the "natives" much less than it did me.

[pikabike]

Maybe it would be different near Bellingham and its university population, but western WA does seem a lot more sedentary than the front range of CO was. It has been a big surprise to me, for the same reason PS90 cited, namely that the very mild temps and little snow OR high heat allow year-round outdoor recreation.

Another poster in another thread denigrated CO as being wall-to-wall recreationists. BRING IT ON! I don't particularly like snow but it didn't usually keep me indoors, either.

It doesn't have to be raining or even misting for people to stay in. Merely gray and cool. As soon as the sun shows, however, the beach crowds rush in. Someone we know won't even drive from the Seattle area to the OP unless it is sunny and dry. The very same kind of day we are likely to be outdoors all day, whether recreating or doing yard work--often both.

I *was* going to buy a motorcycle, then realized how little it would get used here.

[notnamed]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBUxZdWJ_zE

[Botev1912]

Originally Posted by fluffydelusions

I would have guessed NYC would be higher but I guess it just feels like it since it's always hot and humid in the summers there regardless of whether it's raining or overcast.

That's exactly what it is. When it is overcast and warm, people still think it's sunny.