PORT TOWNSEND — As snow continued to fall on the North Olympic Peninsula, most people settled in, bundled up and accepted the fact that normal life will go on when Mother Nature is good and ready to allow it to happen.
Many enjoyed an extended holiday, relishing unexpected time to spend with family or work on their dreams.
Here are some of their stories:
Anna Quinn, Beckett Point
Quinn, who runs the Writers’ Workshoppe in Port Townsend, closed the store when the snow began earlier this week and has spent the past three days writing her novel.
“I’ve set a deadline of Aug. 1 to finish, and if I can stay off Facebook and away from my email, I might make it,” she said.
“I secretly wish we could keep the store closed until Monday because I’ve really enjoyed spending these days writing,” she added.
She and her husband have been making music.
“I play the accordion, and Peter plays the penny whistle, and we want to learn to play Celtic music together,” she said.
Beckett Point, where the Quinns live, “looks like Russia out here,” she said.
“We’ve been living on whiskey and hot chocolate, but we’ve run out of whiskey, so Peter had to go into town.”
Simon Lynge, PT
Lynge, a singer who grew up in Greenland, has spent the days sledding with his 4-year-old son, Django, and spending a lot of time inside listening to loud music.
“It’s a good time to play a lot of music, which I don’t have time to do when I’m out running around,” he said.
The storms have made him shift his priorities.
“In Greenland, we are used to being at the mercy of the weather, so when a flight is canceled, people change their mood and switch into a more patient place,” he said.
“In America, people are so used to getting what they want when they want it; they get frustrated if they can’t just go downtown and get a pizza.
“Right now, this reminds me of being home, where the weather makes you think of a whole different range of activities.”
Barney Burke, PT
Jefferson County Public Utility District Commissioner Burke is spending his downtime poring over PUD documents, painting and feeding birds, some of which he has named.
“A gull with one foot, Lefty, has come by, and I’ve fed him some cat treats, and a hummingbird, Beakon, started sitting on top of this light fixture a few feet from the feeder,” Burke said.
“Then I figured maybe he’d like the warmth if I turned on the 60-watt light, so I did.
“He’s been there all day today, leaving for a few minutes and then returning.
“There is also a hummingbird that I call Bartlett because he’s shaped like a pear.”
Burke is also giving the bathroom a new coat of paint.
“Sitting is the new smoking. It’s a waste of time,” he said.
Yvonne Pepin-Wakefield, PT
Artist, arts teacher and author Pepin-Wakefield, who wrote Suitcase Filled with Nails: Lessons Learned from Teaching Art in Kuwait, has spent much of her time working on her second book.
When she wasn’t writing, Pepin-Wakefield strapped on her cross-country skis and toured the neighborhood.
“On Wednesday morning, the snow was a little slushy, but by the afternoon, it was wonderful,” she said.
“I went out on Hastings Avenue. There were just two cars, and that was it.”
Whitney Meissner, Port Ludlow
Meissner, the Chimacum High School principal, is using the snow days to fulfill one of her New Year’s resolutions: to be a good mother to her two children.
“We’ve stayed home and been snowed in with all the traditional activities that go along with that: sledding, snowballs and most definitely hot cocoa, though in reality, my children prefer steamed milk with vanilla syrup,” she said.
“I thank the snow for giving the three of us this special time together.”
Jordan and Zach Eades, Port Townsend
The Eades family, who own Hope Roofing and Construction, are spending time with their 1-year-old son, Isaac.
“We’ve been sledding, taking walks and watching lots of Disney movies,” Jordan Eades said.
“We’ve learned that it’s important to take time off and how much we enjoy being a family.”
Like many businesses on weather hiatus, the Eades need to spend some time watching the real world.
“We are monitoring the weather and the conditions so we know when it will be safe to get back to work,” she said.
“The forecast is for higher temperatures and rain, so we think we will be able to start on Monday.”
Lee Erickson, Discovery Bay
Port Townsend resident Lee Erickson deleted several Facebook friends with whom she had not had any interaction within a year or more and disliked “likes” that were old interests.
“This was difficult and liberating at the same time,” she said.
“Sorry, ‘friends.’”
Julia Cochrane, PT
Port Townsend resident Cochrane said her household is taking pictures, building a snowman (still tilting, still standing), roasting marshmallows by candle fire, walking, Facebooking, cleaning, laughing and cheering the snow on.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
