About the Weather …
Did I tell you all it is winter here?
Well … it’s winter here!
Yesterday (Saturday) it was a beautiful day. Bright and sunny and very comfortable temperature-wise in just a T-shirt … until evening came. The temperature dropped drastically throughout the evening necessitating a fleece jacket done right up to the top. By the time it was bedtime, it was downright cold. As I retired to my cabin I was extremely glad to snuggle down beneath two comforters. With my head under the covers, I tried to quiet my racing mind as it reflected on the onslaught of experiences of the past two days. I’d like to tell you that I drifted gently off to sleep … however … too much wine would necessitate another trip to the bathroom before sleep. I was loathe to crawl out from my cozy bed but alas there was no choice. Reminder to self: NOTHING TO DRINK AFTER 6:00 P.M.
I awoke to sunshine at 7:30 a.m., late for me, but refreshed by a fitfull night’s sleep after several days of travel. Annoyed with myself for having slept so late, I rolled out of bed, trying to at least partially dress beneath the covers to ward off the inevitable gasp as the first cold air of the morning hit me. Get up! Get going! I told myself but it was hard to convince myself to leave that toasty haven.
Lacing up my hiking boots, I set off for Elephant Rock. As I crested the hill and followed the meandering path, my eyes searched ahead for the familiar rock formations lumbering across the hillside. And then they were there. Two old friends waiting patiently to get reaquainted. Timeless and enduring. Watching and waiting.
For three hours I explored my old haunts and some new ones, once again content in the stillness of morning on the mountain. Although I was bathed in warm sunlight on the hill, a heavy mist hung low in the valley below me. As I made my way along the lower path beneath the elephants, it led me down into the mist and I could feel the icy bite of it that seemed in such contrast to the sand beneath my feet. Sand somehow always has a warm visual associated with it. It seemed strangely juxtaposed to the cold morning mist. One more contradiction in this land that writes its own rules.
The rest of the day remained rainy and dull. Strangely though, it wasn’t depressing. Rain here brings with it the promise of flowers and life in a forbidding environment and you just accept that you’d better be glad to get it when you can.
Tags: Uncategorized
Morag