Sunny day means it is time to play in Vancouver

Four-year-old Jocelyn Leonard-Ulrich told her mother Monday morning that it was a purple-park day. "She names all the parks by the color of the playground equipment," Melissa Ulrich of Vancouver said during a break from playing on the purple swings at Esther Short Park in downtown Vancouver. "Today was definitely a purple-park day." It was also a blue-sky day, sunny and clear, the third straight in Vancouver without rain. Vancouver saw a high of 61 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. "We always try to get out any time there's sun, right?" Ulrich said. "It's gorgeous. We walked here, and we're up on, like, 33rd and Main (streets)." More purple-park days are expected through Thursday afternoon, according to forecasters. Today will be much like Monday, while Wednesday and Thursday will be slightly cooler, with mostly cloudy skies. More typical February rain returns Thursday night and persists through Sunday. Ulrich said she tries to get Jocelyn out and about daily, whatever the weather. "If it's raining, we just prepare for it," she said. "But you can't beat this." For the five-day forecast, see Page B6.