raincl1a.gif (3046 bytes) You Know You're From
Western Washington If...

I love Western Washington.  Except for short stints in Spokane, WA and Eugene, OR as a young child, I've lived here in Western Washington all my life.  Along the same lines as my Children of the 80's list, I thought this would be fun.  There is an e-mail about living in Western WA that's gone around the internet a few times but I couldn't relate to some of the things on the list so I decided to come up with my own.  I did glean a few items from the e-mail (#2, 4, 8 and 26) and I asked family and friends for suggestions of their own (credit given where credit is due).

Here are 105 ways to tell if you are from
 Western Washington

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1.   You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Enumclaw and Issaquah.
2.   You consider swimming an indoor sport.
3.   You keep snow chains in your trunk but they've never been used.
4.   You see a person carrying an umbrella and know they must be a tourist.
5.   Eating seafood isn't anything special.
6.   Your lawn is mostly moss and you don't really care.
7.   Your daily commute to work involves riding a ferry.
8.   You know the difference between "showers followed by rain" and "rain followed by showers".
9.   The sight of Mt. Rainier is still awe inspiring.
10.  You're extremely picky about your coffee.
11.  You yell at the TV if they pronounce the name of a city wrong or make an inaccurate Seattle reference on "Frasier".
12.  You rarely wash your car because it's just going to get muddy again tomorrow.
13.  You wouldn't dream of putting an air conditioner in your house.
14.  You go to Eastern Washington to get some sun.
15.  You can drive from your home to a lake, a river or the Puget Sound in 20 minutes or less.
16.  You've seen or know someone who has seen Bigfoot.
17.  You remember where you were on May 18th, 1980.
18.  You get a terrible sunburn on the first really nice day of summer.
19.  You look forward to SeaFair and all its related activities.
20.  You take a heavy coat and a hat with you for a day at the beach.
21.  You have learned to assume Christmas will be rainy, not white.
22.  You've owned the same bathing suit for years because you never have a chance to wear it out.
23.  You still can't believe the new Seahawks stadium is open air.
24.  Your phone book contains a tide table.
25.  You only visit the Space Needle if you need someplace to take out of town guests.
26.  You or someone you know works at Boeing or Microsoft.
27.  You "Do The Puyallup" every year.
28.  You feel guilty throwing something away that could be recycled.
29.  You use the word "sunbreak" and know what it means.
30.  You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.
31.  You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.
32.  You know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon.
33.  You never go camping without water proof matches and a poncho.
34.  You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.
35.  You can point to at least 2 volcanoes even if you can't actually see them through the cloud cover.
36.  You wear shorts when the temperature gets above 50 but still wear your hiking boots and parka.
37.  You switch to your sandals at about 60 degrees but keep your socks on.
38.  You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.
39.  You buy new sunglasses every year because you've lost last years pair after such a long time not needing them.
40.  You measure distance in hours.
41.  You often switch from heat to a/c in your car in the same day.
42.  You use a down comforter in the summer.
43.  You carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them.
44.  You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat. 
45.  You choose your vacation spot according to the best latte stands.
(submitted by Tia)
46.  You purchase a new car and the 'Northwest Package' includes a built in umbrella holder.
(submitted by Tia)
47.  Your children don't get chickenpox, they get 'rust spots' instead. 
(submitted by Tia)
48.  When you think 'big hair', you think of Kent.  (submitted by Veronica)
49.  You can't make it two blocks without seeing a Starbucks.   (submitted by Veronica)
50.  When you hear people from Eastern WA say they're going to the coast, you assume they mean Ocean Shores. 
(submitted by Veronica)
51.  You make reference to the new neighborhood going up down the street and people have to ask, "Which one?"  (submitted by Rhonda)
52.  You can't believe that people in Spokane actually have yellow grass in the winter and green grass in the summer. 
(submitted by Rhonda)
53.  You know how to pronounce geoduck and know that it doesn't quack or have feathers. (submitted by Dianne) 
54.  You expect snow for Valentine's Day, not Christmas.
(submitted by Crystal)
55.  You get upset when a store doesn't carry your favorite brand of bottled water.  
(submitted by Stacy)
56.  You can tell the difference between Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean and Thai food. 
(submitted by Stacy)
57.  You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best and Tully's.  
(submitted by Stacy)
58.  It's not a real mountain unless it has snow and has erupted within the last 200 years. 
(submitted by Stacy)
59.  You go to work in the dark and come home in the dark even though you only have an 8 hour workday. 
(submitted by Stacy)
60.  You've ever stood alone on a deserted street corner in the rain. 
(submitted by Stacy)
61.  You can tell it's summer because the rain is warmer.  (submitted by Billy)
62.  You know what a Frango is. (submitted by Billy)
63.   You think the "Middle East" is Ellensburg and the "Far East" is Spokane. (submitted by Casey)
64.   You realize no education is required to be a weatherman.  Just predict, "Partly cloudy with a chance of rain."
(submitted by Casey)
65.   You have an earthquake story, and so does everyone else you know. 
(submitted by Casey)
66.   You can identify seven different types of rain.
(submitted by Casey)
67.   You can identify five different cities by smell alone.
(submitted by Casey)
68.   You thing espresso was invented in Seattle.
(submitted by Casey)
69.   You know what 'Sodo Mojo' is.
(submitted by Casey)
70.   You can turn in any direction and be within a stones throw of an Indian-run casino.
(submitted by Casey)
71.   You think summer starts in July and winter in September.
(submitted by Casey)
72.  It's not a real windstorm until your lawn ornaments blow away.
(submitted by Casey)
73.  You know exactly where Tom Hank's boathouse was in "Sleepless In Seattle".
(submitted by Casey)
74.  You know who J.P. Patches was.
(submitted by Casey)
75.  At least one of your neighbors has a hot tub they haven't used in over a year.
(submitted by Casey)
76.  You know who really 'let the dogs out'.
(submitted by Casey)
77.   You become frightened by the bright yellow orb in the sky until the 9-1-1 operator tells you it's just the sun.
(submitted by Casey)
78.  You've used every setting on your intermittent wipers.  (submitted by Kim)
79.  You know you better enjoy the snow the first day it falls before the rain washes it away. (submitted by Kim)
80.  You marvel when the autumn leaves stay on the trees for more than three days before the rain knocks them to the ground. (submitted by Kim)
81.  You can't imagine living through a tornado or hurricane but you secretly think earthquakes are kind of fun.
(submitted by Kim)
82.  You give directions using the Puget Sound and Cascade mountains as points of reference.
(submitted by Krista)
83.  You lose your sense of direction if you go east of the Cascade mountains. (submitted by Krista)
84.  You know at least 5 different ways to kill slugs.
(submitted by Krista)
85.  You know at least 10 different recipes that call for blackberries.
(submitted by Krista)
86.  You are not sure of the color of your house because of all of the rhododendron bushes planted in front of it.
(submitted by Krista)
87.  You know the difference between a rhododendron and an azalea.
(submitted by Krista)
88.  You know what a Dick's Deluxe is.
(submitted by Krista)
89.  You or your family member live "in the woods". (submitted by Ryan)
90.  You can endure 100 days of rain and wind but an inch of snow means school cancellations.
(submitted by Ryan)
91.  You consider an antique anything mad before 1970.
(submitted by Ryan)
92.  You know someone whose house has been partially crushed by a tree.
(submitted by Ryan)
93.  You know the difference between an evergreen and a deciduous tree.
(submitted by Ryan)
94.  You don't know what a turnpike is and have never paid a toll to drive over a bridge.
(submitted by Ryan)
95.  You own a barbeque that has rusted.  (submitted by Matt)
96.  You change your wiper blades more often than your oil.  (submitted by Matt)
97.  Your idea of dancing is nodding your head vigorously. 
(submitted by Matt)
98.  You use your defogger and your AC at the same time. 
(submitted by Matt)
99.  You don't own anything made of wool. 
(submitted by Matt)
100.  when someone honks at you, you think they are trying to say "hi". 
(submitted by Matt)
101.  You get a least 5 e-mails a week from friends asking you to come see their band. 
(submitted by Matt)
102.  You know what a 9-inning lunch is. 
(submitted by Matt)
103.  You think you're working late if you stay past 3 pm. 
(submitted by Matt)
104.  You have more unemployed friends than friends who have jobs. 
(submitted by Matt)
105.  You prefer one mountain range to the other. 
(submitted by Matt)


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