I’m beginning to think the curse follows me.

Dutch weather often parallels the weather in Seattle.  Both locations are maritime regions at low elevation, leading to eerily similar daily temperatures and precipitation.  Still, I hoped for a winter divergence after two brutal weeks of snow in Seattle, believing that the Netherlands would be warmer and drier.

And it was.  At least, it was until this morning.

The first hint of trouble was the brightness of the sky at 2 am: the glow usually heralding fresh snow.  By daylight, it was snowing hard and by mid-morning three inches had accumulated.

It makes for beautiful panoramas and treacherous cobblestones.  Characteristically, the Dutch soldiered on with their bicycles and opened umbrellas. Businesses opened slowly, if at all; the roads are empty.

It’s a good day to work from home, venturing out for groceries and a few pictures to share —

The snow just keeps falling here, dominating the days to a much greater degree than Christmas shopping or tree-trimming.  Seattle, like the Netherlands, is a maritime climate, and an inch in the lowlands is unusual and usually dissipates within a day.

Not this year…

Shoveling out the drive- and walk-ways has become a daily task as new snow falls each night, adding to accumulations already over a foot deep everywhere.  My daughter’s car got stuck twice, once sunk into a drift alongside a road (scatter kitty litter, then shovel it out), and once perched hazardously on an icy hillside (block the road, then spin it out). 

Fortunately, the van just keeps chewing ahead, come snow or ice.  But things really gets hazardous in late evening, when the only people on the road are kids with trucks.

A few pictures of the beautiful mess…

My back yard and front yard (note the beautiful shoveling of the driveway!):

My neighborhood:

Driving around my town:

My Christmas tree:

Some photo credits to my co-pilot daughter.