Oh gosh if she loves that show her Howl's Moving Castle, it's a beautiful anime.

S.J.

She's right about the weather. When I lived over on 28th Place, behind the Wendy's on Powell, I used to watch how the storms would move over the West Hills and move in certain patterns. She's definitely got a good handle on how microclimates work.

On the Mountain, yesterday, we had hail all day. One of the locals was talking about how storms tend to get stuck on "the hip of the Mountain." Interesting observation. I've been in Hoodland (Welches, Brightwood, Rhododendron) where it's been socked in, or even an all-day thunderstorm, then driven up to Timberline where the conditions are clear and beautiful--all day.

Then driven back through the thunderstorms in Hoodland.

Locally, when my son went to Benson High and we lived in Westmoreland, I found it interesting that the microclimate line as to rain/no rain fell in places like the SE 17th/McLoughlin intersection, and then again around Burnside and SE 12th. It's all tied into how weather funnels through the canyons in the West Hills.

But I haven't had a good vantage point for watching the weather move like I did at that place 25 years ago. Too bad, as I learned a lot about Portland weather that first year here.

Then, of course, there's the ways that the east wind takes through SE Portland, and how Westmoreland manages to get more wind through the Crystal Springs Creek watershed than I get up here on the bluff near Woodstock.

There's a cool motel near Baker City, halfway up the hill near I-84, that's way cool to stay in when you have snow showers moving through the area in winter and early spring. You can see how the mountain and wind patterns affect the movement of weather in that area, and it's easier to watch snow than rain.

Sorry for the weather neep. I can be a bit of a weather geek....sounds like the child might be, too!

Yes indeed.

"I am not a gun."

I also forgot to recommend an anime series called Sherlock Hound. It's exactly what it sounds like, but it's a lot of fun and if you like Sherlock Holmes, it's even more enjoyable--several episodes were directed by Miyazaki in his pre-Ghibli days. And if there's ever a US release of Future Boy Conan (or you can get your hands on a copy of the series somehow) it's just like many of his Ghibli films, though it can get dark (but is still appropriate for kids).