<p>In Seattle we have * lots* of hills- which can make it a real PITA to get around when it is icy. Yesterday- quite a few school districts around Puget Sound were delayed- but the Seattle school district opened on time- which means high school starts at 7:40 am ( did I mention I haven’t noticed any sanding or salting of hills?)
Apparently because it was too difficult to get to school on time- many teachers stayed home- I certainly don’t want people to be on the roads if they aren’t comfortable driving- but at this time of year- right before the end of the term- I think attendance is especially important for everyone, not just students.
I mean really- they make a big deal about students missing class- but have they added up how many times teachers are out of class for illness or trips or meetings?</p>
<p>I am going to a meeting tonight that the superintendent will be at & I doubt that she is the one who decides about road conditions- but I hope I get to put in my $0.02.
It would have been better IMO, to have been an hour late, than to have to find subs for teachers who couldn’t make it in on time.</p>
<p>Don’t laugh you people with three feet of snow- hills do make a difference.
But I had to drive my daughter yesterday- because I assumed that her ( city) bus, would be late ( they operate on a * flexible * schedule ) and she would have been unexcused in that case.</p>
<p>I tried to drive TallSon in to school yesterday. At least his district had late start (9:35), but that still didn’t change the fact that I ended up sliding down a hill with the ABS hammering and the M+S tires getting and losing grip. When the car came to a halt at a 45-degree angle to the lane stripe I figured it was a sign that TallSon and I had both earned a snow day. I turned around and crept home. Steep hills don’t mix well with ice and snow.</p>
<p>I don’t even have anti-lock brakes which shocked me when I realized because it is only 5 years old- its not like ABS is a new feature. ( bought it at a credit union sale)
It is a Jeep liberty & it does have 4 wheel drive that I always forget to turn on- even in 2006 when it snowed in November. Because it is so heavy, it is a PITA to stop coming down hills, so I have to allow extra room, even in the rain.</p>
<p>I grew up in the Eastside though- not so many steep hills, unless you live on Somerset ( in which case I think they just hike), but lots more snow.
What was really weird is we still have snow in Ballard, but when I went to school last night in Edmonds- ( which usually gets the snow as it is an * outlying area* ) they didn’t have any! </p>
<p>EK: I once encountered kids sledding down SE 35th between W. Lk Samm Pkwy and Eastgate and tried to stop. Brakes didn’t hold the car on the ice and I started sliding backwards toward the big ravine!!! Car stopped just in time. Kids went by LAUGHING. I turned around easily since I was almost sideways and went home shaking. Don’t know if I was more scared or mad.</p>
<p>We have blue sky here today, but the sky is NEVER as blue here as it is in Seattle. (Now, try to get that song out of your head…)</p>
<p>2cakes, I don’t think I’ve ever been any place more beautiful than the Puget Sound area on a clear, sunny day. That was on a Thursday in August, if I remember correctly. A male friend of mine says that, “Living in western Washington is like being married to a beautiful woman is sick all the time.”</p>
<p>I have two sisters in the Seattle area and over the years I have visited mostly in the summer. My family has always hit in on that Thursday in August that WashDad spoke of ^^</p>
<p>The first time we chanced it in February, there was a snow storm that knocked out power to sister#1’s home in Woodinville for a couple of days. My sister and her husband swung into practiced action. I was awe-struck by how their emergency plan seemed to be so routine!</p>
<p>You mean you don’t have a generator in your garage, a cutover switch in your electrical panel, and eight gallons of gas in your shed? It’s just life as usual around here. Last winter, we lost electrical power for six days, phone/cable/internet for 16 days, and my office building was without power for four days. Now that was a winter.</p>
<p>I don’t think since we have moved to Seattle we have ever lost power- not when I was home anyway. ( oh once a squirrel fried a transformer)
When we lived on the Eastside, I remember at least one Thanksgiving day storm- so disappointing because the turkey looked perfect! & I had to toss it because it wasn’t cooked long enough and all we had was a little one burner camp stove :(</p>
<p>WashDad, the first thing my H said when asked by our builder about what modifications we wanted to make to our house was “Transfer switch!” Of course, we live next to a strategically placed substation, so our power gets restored quickly. But after THAT winter windstorm we also were without electricity for 6 days (the substation was smashed by falling debris). Candles, gas stove, gas fireplaces, dial up internet and laptop as DVD player all worked like magic.</p>
<p>Ek4, I feel your pain, our school district made some stupid decisions about keeping the schools open during icy conditions last winter, and the parents were furious (I think local news showed footage of parents’ cars colliding with a schoolbus sliding down an icy hill). The district is way more cautious this year! </p>
<p>My H’s former boss always had the best turkey for Thanksgiving. He took no chances - he always barbequed his bird.</p>
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