I was driving across a mountain pass yesterday when I regretted that I couldn't stop and take a picture. There was an image before me which I wished I could have gotten on film.
Close your eyes and imagine. Oh wait - then you can't read. Scratch that.
So, I'm speeding along at 70 mph (that's actually the speed limit - I'm 37 and I drive like I'm 87) when I come around a bend and see something which confused me momentarily.
Directly in front of me was a tree line (I will shortly have to go around another bend). It is a mixture of different types of trees. Many of them are the deep, healthy green of evergreens standing proudly in my lush homeland of the Pacific Northwest. There are other trees intermixed, all with a the warm yellow of the sun increasing the vibrant autumnal hues which the leaves have recently taken on in preparation for their decent to the earth. (This wasn't the confusing part - we'll get to that in a moment).
Behind that is a fluffy, white cloud laying low in the sky, directly behind and above the tree line. (No, this wasn't the confusing part either - fog or low-lying clouds aren't unusual around here). This wasn't fog, it was a cloud. It was lit so brightly, it was as if it was illuminated from within, lighting everything around it. The white of it was so pure, as if recently bleached. It was dense and full - no wispy, wimpy edges or spots - just thick a cotton candy cloud resting lazily.
Above that was what confused me. You know when you just catch a glimpse of something and you know you're seeing it wrong, but you can't quite figure out what it really is for a moment? This was one of those moments. It looked like the cloud was leaking upward. Thin, trickling fingers of white were climbing up from the cloud into the sky. It made no sense. Clouds don't behave like that - at least, not around here.
And then I saw it for what it was. Behind the cloud stood a stately mountain, powerfully protecting the delicate cloud below. The rivers of white I had seen were actually trails of snow, hiking down the mountain side. When I took another look at the scene, the whole thing really was powerful - the glowing cloud nestled between the luxuriant patch of trees and the majestic mountain.
I love living in Western Washington. I can see the most beautiful nature!
Close your eyes and imagine. Oh wait - then you can't read. Scratch that.
So, I'm speeding along at 70 mph (that's actually the speed limit - I'm 37 and I drive like I'm 87) when I come around a bend and see something which confused me momentarily.
Directly in front of me was a tree line (I will shortly have to go around another bend). It is a mixture of different types of trees. Many of them are the deep, healthy green of evergreens standing proudly in my lush homeland of the Pacific Northwest. There are other trees intermixed, all with a the warm yellow of the sun increasing the vibrant autumnal hues which the leaves have recently taken on in preparation for their decent to the earth. (This wasn't the confusing part - we'll get to that in a moment).
Behind that is a fluffy, white cloud laying low in the sky, directly behind and above the tree line. (No, this wasn't the confusing part either - fog or low-lying clouds aren't unusual around here). This wasn't fog, it was a cloud. It was lit so brightly, it was as if it was illuminated from within, lighting everything around it. The white of it was so pure, as if recently bleached. It was dense and full - no wispy, wimpy edges or spots - just thick a cotton candy cloud resting lazily.
Above that was what confused me. You know when you just catch a glimpse of something and you know you're seeing it wrong, but you can't quite figure out what it really is for a moment? This was one of those moments. It looked like the cloud was leaking upward. Thin, trickling fingers of white were climbing up from the cloud into the sky. It made no sense. Clouds don't behave like that - at least, not around here.
And then I saw it for what it was. Behind the cloud stood a stately mountain, powerfully protecting the delicate cloud below. The rivers of white I had seen were actually trails of snow, hiking down the mountain side. When I took another look at the scene, the whole thing really was powerful - the glowing cloud nestled between the luxuriant patch of trees and the majestic mountain.
I love living in Western Washington. I can see the most beautiful nature!
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