Every now and then, when the sun is bright, the sky cobalt blue and the air so hot that the frigid waters of Puget Sound beckon, we remember why we live here.
We sometimes have to wait a long time to remember. But when those days arrive, they wash over us like a warm bath, all the more delicious for how seldom they come.
There is much to love about Vashon’s weather, even when it’s not the tender kiss of a summer day. Bracing winds invigorate. Rain keeps our corner of the world verdant. Cloudy days illuminated by rays of sun that seem to emanate from within can make us feel as though we’ve walked into a painting by one of those Dutch masters. The skies can feel big here, the world expansive.
But on days like last weekend, a beauty that seems almost startling emerges on Vashon. The sky is so richly blue. The gentle breezes carry such sweet smells.
The Island’s towering firs seem etched, pasted against the brilliantly blue skies. The water, unfathomably deep, offers a powerful counterbalance to the heat of the day. The package feels complete, a yin-yang study in perfection.
Weather has long fascinated us humans, and it seems to even more these days, as parts of the world experience a time of such frightening extremes.
At The Beachcomber office, when we heard the news of fatal tornados in the Midwest this spring, we made an informal pact to never complain about our weather again. For all our weather-related disappointments — our picnics that have been cancelled, our outdoor concerts that never happen, our bike rides in the rain — we have suffered, in reality, very little. If anything, we’ve only found reason to utter that now-tired joke as we bundle up on a chilly July day: So much for global warming.
But after this weekend, when sheets billowed on the clothesline, raspberries seemed suddenly to ripen, kids frolicked on the water’s edge and a few hardy adults dived into the Sound, all those complaints and snide jokes and disappointments melted away.
At least for a couple of glorious days, we could smile and note that summer — like a temperamental star late for the show — had finally arrived.
