One of the benefits of living in the Pacific Northwest is all the rain. I know that sounds odd. I grew up in the Midwest where rainy days and thunderstorms were just part of the landscape; it rained in the spring, it rained in the summer, it rained in the fall. When it rained, one got out raincoats and boots and umbrellas and coped. The rain might stick around for a few days, but then it passed and one got on with life. In PNW, the claim is it rains all the time. Before I moved here, I thought that meant buckets of rains, 24/7……..unrelenting sogginess. Actually, rain is celebrated here. Where I live, rain often is more like squalls one experiences on the oceans. Blustery storms with dark ominious clouds that sometimes appear out of nowhere, drop buckets of rain (sometimes with hail) in a furious blast and then is often gone as quickly as it appears. Poof, clearing skies and puffy clouds as if nothing had just happened. We also get fog heavy with moisture. A mist that hangs in the air and coats everything with a slick wet coating. Today’s weather is just that, a “drippy” day as it is called here. I actually don’t mind drippy days. It offers a coziness and sense of wanting to stay indoors to quilt. I couldn’t be happier.
What I didn’t realize is that the bands of squall like storms that quickly pass through also bring RAINBOWS!! Lots of rainbows. I’ve seen more rainbows since moving here than I’ve seen in the balance of the rest of my life. Its awesome. Once a a cloud drops its rain, it pushes off and leaves a trail of mist. The now clearing skies allow sunlight to break through, and there…….just for a few moments……..a glorious rainbow is created. Its magical. I’ve seen double and even triple rainbows here. The rich hues of color suddenly appear, intensify and then begin to fade…..all within a few moments.
Yesterday was one of those days. I was in my quilt room and a cloud let loose. I’m slowly getting used to these sudden downpours. I watched it rain for a few minutes, and then as the cloudburst past, mist filled the air and the sun broke through……and there, just in the yard ahead…….a glorious rainbow. It was beautiful with intense colors and seemed to spring from the ground. I managed a few quick pictures before it faded. Then it was gone. Gone before I could run out to find the pot of gold. Maybe next time…….
