New Year's Eve vs New Year's Day: NOT an Omen

We took a quick trip to the beach over New Years at the invitation of some dear friends (much dearer now that we know what an awesome beach house they have).  

This is how the dogs roll in the Prius.  They get more leg room than we do.

This is a sign at the fish place where we had lunch.  We totally parked there any way, must or no must.  That's the kind of rebels we are.  Besides, our attack dogs were on guard duty.

When we arrived on Wednesday (in 2008), the weather was cool, dry and calm.  Perfect weather for a walk on the beach.  Which we did.  Which was good, because as soon as the ball dropped Wednesday night, all hell broke loose.

Wind: we got it. Rain: we got it. Sideways rain: Got that. Big awesome waves: as much as you want. Coffee: affirmative. Hot Cider: yes, ma'am. French Toast: oui. Bowl Games: Yep. It was storm-watching-in-jammies time.

I took a quick snapshot out the window, but you can't see the sideways rain.  You'll have to trust me on that.

By the time we left Thursday night, there were already reports of highway closings due to high water.  Luckily, none were between our car and our driveway, but it wasn't a fun drive.  Rain so thick sometimes it looked like a dense fog.  This is what it looked like from my cell phone, once we got back into the Portland area. The weather here was better than it had been in the coast range.

I'm sure this little weather phenomenon is not an omen for the new year, as December weather was pretty sucky around here as well.

Friday we woke up to an inch of snow that had melted slightly and frozen to make an ice rink-style surface for the convenient placement of fresh bruises.

Happy New Year!