The View from a Drawbridge

Tag: sun

  • Sightseeing in the Fog

    I’ve been vacationing on the Oregon coast. I’d never been to Oregon before. It’s gorgeous. I could totally see myself retiring here, if retirement weren’t some distant fantasy for me. And if I hadn’t seen so many Donald Trump yard signs. My first two days were sunny and clear. Not a cloud in the sky.…

  • What Does Sunshine Smell Like?

    I was sitting in my back yard watching my dogs contentedly basking in the sun. Every once in a while, one of them would raise his head, squint directly into the sun and sniff the gentle breeze. Then he’d drift back to sleep. This is the life. I have no doubt that there are plenty of…

  • The Gift of Deprivation

    Oh joy! The sun is out! The sky is blue! I feel like dancing. At this time of year in Seattle, sunshine is a precious gift; one not to be taken for granted. It’s like manna from heaven. You can almost hear a choir singing down every solar ray. Laaaaaaa… On the other hand, in…

  • Happy Winter!

    The term “solstice” always sets off a slight frisson in me. It evokes ancient rites and rituals, the customs of people we barely remember and are hard-pressed to comprehend. No matter what your spiritual beliefs or lack thereof, it’s hard to ignore the passage of time as indicated by the sun, our main purveyor of…

  • Beauty in the Gray

    It’s another rainy Seattle day. Just as it was yesterday. And the day before. And the day before that. You don’t realize how much you thrive on sunlight until it’s taken from you. I’ve only lived in the Pacific Northwest for a little over a year, but I’m already sensing a pattern. This time of…

  • Hotter’n Hell

    When I feel like putting myself in an instant good mood, I look up the weather report for Jacksonville, Florida, my old home town. At the time of this writing, it’s 93 degrees with 100 percent humidity there. I remember those days. You step outside and feel as if you’re being covered by a steaming…

  • We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Sun

    I have to admit that when I was contemplating my move from Florida to Seattle, I approached the whole concept with a certain level of trepidation. Everyone knows it rains all the time in Seattle. I mean, All. The. Time. I really didn’t know how I would cope. I’m already prone to depression. Would this…

  • Let There Be Light. Not.

    I love the dark. I think that started because I was a chronic migraine sufferer from an early age. Even though I rarely get migraines anymore, somewhere in my brain light will always equal pain. I almost never turn lights on unless I have to read something or am unfamiliar with my environment. I think…

  • The Art of Artificial Living

    For much of the past 13 years I’ve worked graveyard shifts. Have I gotten used to it? No. It’s an unnatural state, and I hate it. All sorts of studies have proven that people who work graveyard shifts have a whole host of health issues and a much higher divorce rate. I read somewhere that…

  • Swamplandia

    I’ll be the first to admit that I have entirely too much time on my hands. My imagination can sometimes take me to very strange places. Anyone who knows me well tends to shake his or her head and smile weakly at me when forced aboard one of my flights of fancy. This is one…