NFR Happy Winter Solstice to all...

Non-fishing related
Josh

Josh

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Living in the pacific northwest my whole life, the Winter Solstice has always meant a lot to me. It's my favorite holiday this time of year, perhaps my favorite of the whole year. Christmas is fine and all, but the consumerism wears on me. New Years can be an excuse for a party, but it's also just sort of an arbitrary day on the calendar.

But this cold (especially this year) long night means we've turned the corner and will now start our slow march back to the long days of summer. A good time to think about all that I've been through, good and bad, over the past year and what I might want to do differently in the next trip around the sun.

I'd hoped to get out fishing, but the 9F on the thermometer this morning (and don't forget the windchill!) nixed that plan. So I celebrated by spending the day in the kitchen cooking various things. For dinner I made an outstanding spaghetti sauce recipe and some blueberry crisp for my family. We toasted with sparkling cider (then the wife and I toasted with a little rye later on). Not a bad evening.

Cheers to you all!
 
I completely relate to this and I also pay attention to this day more than most holidays. It’s not so much a holiday but a reason to get a little bit more optimistic in the typically long and dreary winter around here. It matters for real, and not because of tradition, religion, or history.

The family and I were in Vancouver BC last weekend to go to the aquarium. Inside was a blast, but outside it was just gray everything. The city has a strange urban monotone this time of year especially with the smooth wet surfaces of concrete and glass. The fog was at times engulfing the tops of the tallest buildings. I have returned from tropical parts of the world this time of year to be absolutely shocked at how little light and color there is here, it was like my eyes were bored. It’s all wet surfaces and grays reflecting off everything.

As a lifer in the PNW, and mostly in Bham which I am told is worse than a lot of parts for weather (but at least we have a ski area because of it), I have always told my friends and family to hold steady to positivity in the next two months. I cannot tell you how many career changes, mental breakdowns, divorces, fights, and bad decisions have been made in the month of February by people I know. My advice to everybody, is to rethink and reengineer your life in April or after. Your mind isn’t right even if you think it is after that many months of dreariness.

People talk about Bakers legendary record snowfall in the late 90s and how epic it was and I am always quick to remind them that it rained 128 days straight in Bellingham. That’s 1/3 of the year!
 
and here I was thinking I might have been the only one paying attention to the solstice yesterday. I went to bed a wee bit happier, thinking it's just gonna get better from here on out! It looks like we're going to enjoy 2 more minutes of sunlight today 👍
 
Yes, turn on the sun! Like my mother, I suffer seasonal affective disorder. I get down when it's darker and cloudy all day. Looking forward to more daylight. Going to tie up a few winter stones, as as soon as this cold breaks and we get a little sun and water temp increases the bugs will be out and fishing should pick up. Won't be long now and we'll be back at it.
 
HauntedByWaters said:
It’s not so much a holiday but a reason to get a little bit more optimistic in the typically long and dreary winter around here.
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Yeah, I hear you. I suspect "holiday" isn't the right word for how everyone views the solstice, even if it is important to them personally. But it's a day I decided I would celebrate in my life. And is a "holiday" really anything more than a day we celebrate in one way or another? I don't feel like we should leave the decision on what defines a holiday completely with the big-businesses/religions/federal-govts of the world.
 
To me it is a holiday. It is the reason for the season so to speak. It's a holiday based on reality. Being someone with no faith in any religion or deity, it is the actual holiday even if it is not recognized by my work or many other people.

I am one of those who struggles with the short days and lack of sunlight. Although the days are shorter in B'ham than nearly anywhere else in the continental US, my seasonal disorder is generally better here than in upstate NY or NH. At least it is not so cold that you can't go out. Sure, the reflected light off the snow is helpful in those places but I never went outside in the winter. We had tunnels in college from certain dorms to dining halls and lecture halls. As an 18 year old I was completely unaware of the effect that not going outside was having on me. No sunlight and a bunch of beer and carbs make Chuckie a fat, pasty, angry boy.

Fortunately, I have found some ways to help including diet, getting outside and recognition of what is going on. This has kept me married.
 
Every year I get older the darkness weighs on me more. Working in windowless kitchens means months where I barely see daylight, and that shit will get you. I find myself looking forward to the solstice more and more every year.

Also this year I maintained a strong vitamin D regimen and it seems to have helped a lot.
 
First thing I said to my wife this morning: Days are getting longer now!! It's a big deal for us here in the PNW. Always has been.
 
Working outside for decades keeps me tuned into to things like daylight, and this time of year means short work days...which is perfect.
Sitting at home under a cover of snow today, watching the birds trying to make a living, reminds me... I should probably do the same.
😆🤣😆
 
HauntedByWaters said:
How is the fishing?
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The nice thing about MT weather is the changes vs. being locked into gloom for months.
Although it will be a bit breezy, Billings is set for a 70 degree swing by Christmas Day.
Christmas Day
Partly sunny, with a high near 44. West wind 16 to 18 mph.
If I was still living there I would probably be off to a nearby tailwater fishery. :D
 
Maybe it is just me, but as a PNW lifer I really enjoy the gloom of winter especially for fishing.
There are just a lot less people around, both anglers and none anglers where I like to spend time in the winter.
I also like having four seasons, though if we missed summer that wouldn’t break my heart.
My motto is I'd rather rust then melt.
SF
 
I mark the solstice as a natural milestone as well. I grew up in Edmonds and was vaguely aware of seasonal affective concerns by my late teens. I coped with beer and live music in my early 20’s. It wasn’t until I moved to Laramie WY that I experienced a very different kind of winter- crispy cold, some snow, but lots of blue bird skies and bright sun. So much better. Now I’m based in central WA, the land of temperature inversions and freezing fog. I cope by traveling to better climates for a few weeks. Hawaii is currently doing the trick. E8F61811-0ACF-4DD2-95C4-405E48917E70.jpeg
 
Stonedfish said:
Maybe it is just me, but as a PNW lifer I really enjoy the gloom of winter especially for fishing.
There are just a lot less people around, both anglers and none anglers where I like to spend time in the winter.
I also like having four seasons, though if we missed summer that wouldn’t break my heart.
My motto is I'd rather rust then melt.
SF
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I do absolutely love being out fishing in the winter here and that is a big part of why I do it and it truly is like therapy to me. I wish it wasn’t so fucking political and crowded and complicated for winter fisheries these days. When I was going to Montana State, I hated the feeling and dread of true cabin fever. Something like what Chucky was talking about.
 
I lived in Fairbanks , AK for a couple years. It was the first time I'd ever heard of SAD....but shortly into the first winter, I understood completely. Like Pink Nighty wrote, if ya didn't have a work space near a window, ya never saw the sun.

This is a time lapse-ish photo of the 1987 ( I think ) Winter Solstice. The local paper made a poster which I framed and still keep on my side of the bed.

IMG_5478.JPG

Pics were taken at half hour increments. As you can see, the sun didn't come up until 10ish and was gone by 2:30 ish. The summers were amazing but the winters were tough. I never wanted to get out of bed on the weekends. Like Charles wrote, self medicating with alcohol was a thing for many....as were full spectrum lights and trips to Hawaii if you were willing to sign over your Permanent Fund dividend check....but being a poor grad student that never happened.

Bellingham is waaay better but the grayness still gets to me at times. First world problems here, but for those nearing retirement, pay attention to this. I retired last year at this time (for the end of year tax benefits) and my melancholy was amplified since I wasn't working, the days were short & cold, steelhead fishing sucked, etc, This Christmas has been a challenge, too.....especially since my wife is like Tom B's... Christmas is her favorite season and she's blowing up the Hallmark Channel as I write this. :) But it's all good. I'm driving my wife nuts by taking over the kitchen and rearranging it to be more efficient 👍 And since it's the day after the solstice, I'll get two more minutes today to do it.
 
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troutpocket said:
I mark the solstice as a natural milestone as well. I grew up in Edmonds and was vaguely aware of seasonal affective concerns by my late teens. I coped with beer and live music in my early 20’s. It wasn’t until I moved to Laramie WY that I experienced a very different kind of winter- crispy cold, some snow, but lots of blue bird skies and bright sun. So much better. Now I’m based in central WA, the land of temperature inversions and freezing fog. I cope by traveling to better climates for a few weeks. Hawaii is currently doing the trick. View attachment 46085
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Right behind you!
IMG-2544 (1).jpg
:)
 
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