When it snows in the Sierras..

The weathermen said there was a big snow storm coming our way. As the storm clouds built over the Sierras, we decided to hunker down with the following.
The dinner was pretty much from Saveur.

Dinner Nov 20 2010 058.JPG

Toasted rosemary baguette topped with slices of porcetta, basil and mozarella

Dinner Nov 20 2010 057.JPG

Risotto with chantarelles

Dinner Nov 20 2010 062.JPG

Chicken Galliano with crimini mushrooms

Dinner Nov 20 2010 066.JPG

to be contd...

We also had ..
Fennel baked in cream

Dinner Nov 20 2010 059.JPG

All polished off with a fine Barbera from Mendocino..

[Jenise]

Oh yum! What a great menu, Shaji--love the pics! I could eat that fennel for breakfast.

By the way, in the time I've lived here we've never had snow in November--typically it doesn't snow until January, if then--but Friday night it dumped a big load and it remains cold enough to do it again. It's about 26 F outside right now.

By the way, in the time I've lived here we've never had snow in November--typically it doesn't snow until January, if then--but Friday night it dumped a big load and it remains cold enough to do it again. It's about 26 F outside right now.

Hey, Jenise, either you miraculously missed it when we got clobbered in late November four years ago (when we had a foot on the ground here and I know Bellingham was the same) or your memory is getting short My time in this part of the world only goes back six years but that event and the Big Snow in December two years ago (the one that got Greg Nickels in trouble) have been the only significant snows here. Maybe things are different up there in the frozen north but in my short history on Whidbey, the big snows (all two of them) *always* happen in November and December! We had a short/light flurry here this morning that was just enough to put a short-lived film on roofs but that's it for us so far.



Edited once to give Jenise her name back.

[Jenise]

Hey Mark, you're probably right about my memory. I've been here a year longer than you (we moved in the fall, this will be our eighth winter) but that first winter was very mild but for one week in January where temps got down to almost single digits (and busted my neighbor's pipes). Perhaps that is what fixed the month of January in my head as the worst. But it's true, we're in a rainshadow and Bellingham has been blitzed when we've been spared, but also vice versa. Lemme check my photo file.

[Jenise]

Hmmm...well, I'm not sure. But I found pix of heavy snow on Dec 22 2008 and a bigger storm the year before sometime between September and March . For some reason, the date gizmo on my camera wasn't working for the shots I took then. We got three feet here, worse than Bellingham, in that storm. So I'll take your word for it. But close as we are we do obviously have slightly different weather--Friday night here was pretty exciting.

Hey Mike

My abject apologies! I know different but I've been exchanging emails with a Jeanette, so I guess I've got her name on my brain. I'll edit immediately.

By the way, in the time I've lived here we've never had snow in November--typically it doesn't snow until January, if then--but Friday night it dumped a big load and it remains cold enough to do it again. It's about 26 F outside right now.

Jenise, We have gotten snow even in October. This one was the first of the season. The dire predictions of the local meteorologists did not come to fruition..we only had maybe 3-4 inches on the valley floor this morning

Hmmm...well, I'm not sure. But I found pix of heavy snow on Dec 22 2008 and a bigger storm the year before sometime between September and March . For some reason, the date gizmo on my camera wasn't working for the shots I took then. We got three feet here, worse than Bellingham, in that storm. So I'll take your word for it. But close as we are we do obviously have slightly different weather--Friday night here was pretty exciting.

Well, just so you won't think I'm crazy, here are a couple of my own photos. The accompanying data says these were taken on November 26, 2008. I think the day is right although the time sure wasn't. I definitely didn't take these at four in the morning!

November 2006 snow #1.jpg

November 2006 snow #2.jpg

The climate definitely does vary over short distances here. We're rain shadow-ish here, getting only around 20 inches of rain per year. Also, we don't get the direct shot you do when that famous cold air decides to pour out of the Fraser River canyon. More moisture, more cold - sounds like a recipe for more snow. We've never had more than a foot or so on the ground here and only those two times in the past six years.

I also found this among several entries about the November 2006 snow when I Googled on "Bellingham 2006 snow".