You know, it rains every day up there, the sun never comes out.

It seemed like that was all I heard when I received orders to transfer from South Carolina to USS Sacramento (AOE 1), my first command here in the Northwest. When I arrived at SeaTac airport back in January 2001, it was raining.

It wasn’t a pounding downpour like the ones in South Carolina that saturate the ground in minutes with raindrops that come down so hard they sting your skin. This was a slight sprinkle, barely enough to keep the sidewalk wet. I’ve seen dogs that could shake more water off their backs than what was coming from the Seattle sky.

It continued for most of the week and almost everyone on the ship complained about it. Sometimes it was a steady, but not strong rain, other times it was just more of a mist hanging in the air, but not quite a fog.

When the sun finally came out that Saturday I half expected the locals to scatter like espresso-fueled cockroaches when the light hit them. There wasn’t actually much scattering that happened, but several of the locals I saw seemed to lose their sickly white pallor right before my eyes.

I’ve heard here that October, November, December, January, February, March and April showers bring May flowers, but you don’t have to wait until spring to get out and do things. Most people I see seem to be terrified of rain. They dart from their car to their office using every bit of overhead cover as protection from the falling gray plague.

If this sounds like you, I have some news you might be interested in: Current research shows that rain (made up mostly of water) is almost completely harmless to people. In fact, some cutting edge experts are claiming that water may even be good for you.

Better yet, as breathable, waterproof fabrics like Gore-Tex become more and more common, it is less likely that you will even have to get wet if you go outside. But why would anyone want to go outside in the rain?

Well, this can be one of the most beautiful times of the year in Washington. Water you’ll see is a feature part of the Northwest landscape. It is the snow that sets off the mountain peaks with a majestic flare that is missing from all but the tallest promontories during summer. Lower down, below the snow level, consistent winter rains feed the many, many waterfalls, which so moved early explorers with their beauty that those mountains still carry the name Cascades.

If you’re into sightseeing or photography, the rivers and streams of Western Washington have grown beyond their summertime trickles and will reach full force as weather starts to warm up in a few months.

As long as you dress for the weather, there isn’t much that the relatively mild winters here will stop you from doing and if all else fails get above the rain and go play in the snow.

Whatever you do, get out and do something, because if you don’t, this can be a very depressing place to be and just when you’re thinking the weather is getting nice enough to go out and play, the spring PRT will be at your doorstep.