here and now

waking up...

i just woke up. my aunt has not put curtains up yet so i woke up as the light transformed the room. the first thought i had as i gained awake-ness was "i'm here!" and a large smile took shape on my face.

i rolled over and looked out the window...

the branches of trees lush and verdant stretching out towards the shore.

its an overcast washington day (my favorite) so the sea looks silver especially with its opalescent movement.

the island is a "u" shape and we are in the nook of that u. so the rest of the island is stretching out ahead.

i remember last summer i looked out the window with my Aunt Carol and she asked me what color the hill was. the sun was setting and i looked over and i said it was green with bits of brown. she said, "No. what colors are the hill right now?" i looked closely. i ignored what i knew, what i could say with my eyes closed, what the science book tells us, what the pictures show us and it wasn't green anymore. it was orange dark dark dark blood orange. the sunset had made this hill of trees deep deep orange. color become more important at that moment.

i am here again, looking at that same hill, finding his colors.

...

last night on the ferry...

my mom was so worried we wouldn't make the 9:00 ferry.  but we did. i parked on the car deck and ran to the top. sat down started writing and then i stopped. realized i could write any time. there is wind outside that i need to hit my face. so. i bundled up and went to the tip of the ferry. magic.

having that freezing wind against my face, and the sea, those islands and those mysterious yet glorious shades of blue and purple in the sky... all laying out in front of me might be one of the best feelings in the world....

i can't accurately describe the sky for you, so i offer this.

plum. violet. midnight blue. indigo. blackberry. black. and a pearl floating beyond silver clouds.

the islands we passed are scarcely populated so the lights i did find looked like fallen stars.

through this image i now realize the power. the potential. the might of a single light.

...

i have been here so many times. too many times to remember. every time i come it feels new....

the precious treasures i take home will forever live in my heart.

being here is a breath of fresh air...