Note: Rainy weather not drawn to scale.

Residents of Seattle know that regardless of the date summer is marked on the calendar, there is only one date to pay attention to here – July 5th. With Independence Day barbeques and fireworks safely ruined by gray and drizzle, summer officially begins.

The past several years have seen a disturbing trend in the Rain City with sunny weather beginning in May and even April. More concernedly, we even saw some good weather on the Fourth of July. Previously a gloomy holiday had been almost as certain as death and taxes. For several years running Seattle denizens grumpily dragged out their barbeques and were forced to celebrate the holiday outside with the rest of the nation. Coffee shops citywide lamented the drop in revenue as the city’s pasty masses took to the outdoors. There was much talk about global warming. Four horsemen were said to be seen riding over Snoqualmie Pass.

Sleep easy tonight Seattleites. Order has been restored.

2010 witnessed a Spring so gloomy, so dreary, it moistened the eyes of residents across the city. Were those tears? Nay, it was rain! Things were so bad I even saw a dog walking across the street with an umbrella in its mouth last week. I’m not kidding. In addition to the unrelenting gray and rain, we saw 271 consecutive days with temperatures less than 70 degrees. It brought back fond memories of 2006 when everyone banded together and cheered as the city approached a record for consecutive days with precipitation (NB: We will never forgive you SeaTac for not registering rain on that day). And yes, yes, after a years long wait, last night we watched fireworks soar up into the sky only to disappear into the gray and never come down. This is why we live here. This is the city we know and love.

So here we are on the 5th of July. While people across the nation are done with their celebrations, ours have just begun. Celebrate Seattle. Summer is here!

And what says summer more than rosé? Our time to enjoy it is short, but it is upon us. Below are links to an on-line video event on Washington rosé conducted by Paul Gregutt and Randall PR last month. While the rain pattered along the rooftop, winemakers and Seattle Social Media-ites participated in this live, on-line event. The event included wines from Sleight of Hand Cellars, Chinook Wines, Syncline Wine Cellars, Waters Winery, Charles & Charles, Lullaby Winery, Dusted Valley, and Barnard Griffin. Look for a cameo in Part IV from yours truly. Have a good start to summer. And locals, no need to get too sentimental about the rain. Fall is just a little more than two months away.

#WARose Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV