2014 Winter Walk-Off Wrap-Up

     Until early last week I was worried that few bloggers would join in my Winter Walk-Off, but a parade of last minute entries came in at the deadline. These late posts reminded me of my college days, staying up all night to finish a term paper. I remember boarding the city bus once, bleary eyed, to hand deliver a particularly onerous paper to a professor's house in a vain effort at beating a late penalty, but I digress. This year I ended up with 17 entries, and many of them had common features, snow, snow and snow. Here they are in the order received.

#1 - Beth in Wisconsin
God bless people who live in northern climates, where the first sign of spring is ice thawing and water flowing. Beth shows us around McFarland, Wisconsin where the snow is deep and lakes are frozen, but buds are swelling and the cedar waxwings are whistling.

#2 - Emily in Seattle
Ever wish you lived in a neighborhood full of free spirits, where neighbors lend books from street-side libraries, and garden art is a high form of personal expression? My neighborhood has its funky moments, but I wish it were more like Emily's.

#3 - Sarah in Maine
In this year's first Walk-Off to include a canine and our second with lots of snow, wise Sarah says "You need to embrace winter, not hide from it." And embrace it she does, on skis along a snowy wooded trail near Bowdoin College.

#4 - Alison in Seattle
Alison's Walk-Off shows us a bit of downtown Seattle, a place were chewing gum is used as wall covering, where the restrooms are fresh, and a pig named Rachel has survived 25 years in a market without once being eyed for bacon by the butcher.

#5 - Denise in Long Beach
Who'd have thought that in traffic-clogged, car-obsessed southern California that precious parking spaces would ever be converted into even more precious parks, or more precisely, parklets? Is it just me, or do you smell change coming too?

#6 - Sybil in Nova Scotia
Sybil shares this year's first international entry, though not some balmy tropical isle, but cold Halifax, where she reluctantly braved the weather to show us some of the provincial capital. It may be cold now, but it must have been hot there this summer, because some of the streetlamps appear to have melted.

#7 - Jan in Northern Virginia
Virginia is a very diverse state, and the northern part of the commonwealth is one its most densely populated areas, although from Jan's entry you wouldn't think it so. Like Sarah she has embraced the season and takes us on a snowy trip around her neighborhood.

#8 - Annie in New Hampshire
I am grateful that Annie tempted fate and walked with us. Though it was through a cold and snowy New England landscape, there was a warm break by the wood stove in a carpenter's shop, plus there were dogs.

#9 - Loree in Salem, Oregon
If all you know of Salem, Oregon is how it prevented you from getting a perfect score and a red ink smiley face on Miss Greene's 5th grade state capital quiz, then I didn't realize that you and I were ever classmates. Loree shows us that Salem is also home to some really unique architecture, monumental sculptures, an intriguing garden store that needs better hours, and some really bad municipal landscaping.

#10 - Janet in South Carolina
It wouldn't be the same Walk-Off without Janet and her dogs. She has participated in every one I have ever hosted, and I really appreciate that. Make sure you pause long enough to hear the frogs.

#11 - Lynn in North Carolina
In her entry, Lynn takes us to High Hampton Inn and Country Club in the magical mountains of western North Carolina. Not that I am ungrateful for all of the other entrant's efforts, but Lynn was the only one to invite me for a visit which will include libations. I am sure that was just an innocent oversight on everyone else's part, and I promise it will have no bearing on the prize drawings - honest.

#12 - Peter in Tacoma
Spring has come to Tacoma, Washington and Peter shows us a few things blooming in his neighborhood. However, what he shows more of is some eclectic residential architecture. He must have remembered from last year that I like looking at buildings as much as I do gardens.

#13 - Sweetbay in North Carolina
Sweetbay's entry includes pictures of blooming quince, cherries, narcissus, hellebores and magnolias in Chapel Hill, all sure signs that winter is over. Hopefully the blooms and warming weather will soothe and distract Carolinians from March Madness sadness.

#14 - Gene in Hampton, Virginia
Like Janet, Gene has participated in everyone of my Winter Walk-Offs, and it just wouldn't be the same event without him. This year he takes us on a walk around his church, showing that people out west aren't the only ones who can grow spiky things, and that homelessness knows no geographical boundaries either (look in his comment section for the link to an interesting sculpture).

#15 - Jennifer in Ontario
In another post from snow covered Canada, Jennifer risks bodily injury exploring a copse of trees with a hidden pond at its center. She could have used skates this month, maybe this summer all she will need a bathing suit.

#16 - Lynn in Chicago
Some American cities have suffered more than others in this long winter, one of them is Chicago, but I want to think they are probably bettered prepared for it than some, though that doesn't mean they necessarily like it. Lynn takes a break between snow storms to walk through the park and to Lake Michigan. Visible bare ground between patches of snow must surely mean that spring is on its way.

#17 - Ray in Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is one of Virginia's most historic cities, and it is full of interesting architectural details, some of which are captured in Ray's Walk-Off entry. Those of you who have ever contemplated downsizing, maybe a spite house might work for you.

     And now for the rich swag. As is tradition here, all entries are put into a hat (or in this year's case, a bowl), and a thoroughly disinterested teenager randomly drew 2 names.

• The first winner is Sybil in Nova Scotia, and she has won a can of Crab House Crunch, a local delicacy with addictive properties. 
• Peter in Tacoma won the next prize, a collection of seashells I personally pulled from the Atlantic during a trip to Metompkin Island. In this case I think most of them are Knobbed Whelks. 

Sybil and Peter, I will contact you for a mailing address, and the prizes should follow shortly thereafter, more or less.

     I thank everyone who took the time to contribute a post this year, I really appreciate the efforts. We will have to do it again next year.

(All of the photos in this post were taken during a walk the dogs and I took this past weekend at my parent's house on the Eastern Shore. It was beautiful day with temps in the 70's, it might snow here tomorrow. Two steps forward, one step back.)