Yes. That is Yeeesssssss!!!
It was nearly 70 degrees today.
All during the wet cold months of late fall and winter Pacific North westerners bundle up in layers of sweaters and rain proof garments and vacate the streets as quickly as possible.
On my way to the light rail each wintry evening I passed a number of outdoor eating areas all tied down and abandoned for the rainy season. It was like walking through a twilight ghost town. The people you pass are shrouded in rain clothes, hats or hoodies and no one has a face. Only a few offer a muffled hello in response to yours.
Then the sun comes out and people blossom like the desert after a rain storm. Spots of color and skin, yes, SKIN appears. People wearing shorts and halter tops, even those who might look better with a little more covering unbutton and remove a layer or two or three for the sunshine. The outdoor cafe chairs and tables are completely filled within minutes with colorful people all alive for the first time since the rains began.
Really it is an overnight transformation (sometimes only a few hours).
On the way into work I passed a man sitting with his face toward the sun. "I am soaking up every last bit of rays" he said, "since it won't last long."
How true. It is only March and we still have the April showers for May flowers to go until the rainy season officially ends (the day after the Rose Festival concludes is the usual first day of sun.)
But for the moment I can't help but feel good along with all of the other creatures of the area. My sinuses are clear. The moss between my toes has been shed. My overcast headache has lifted and my spirits are up in the blue skies of promise.
The first taste of Spring in the northwest. Nothing like it.
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