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| Sun after a morning of rain, Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland, OR |
Last fall, when I joined a friend on a trip to Portland, OR, we encountered the kind of cloudiness and rainfall that the Pacific Northwest is known for. So much of our time was spent if not with showers, then with mist and gray overcast. But while I am a fan of sunny weather, these rainy days reminded me of why I love the West so much. When I think of the West, the bulk of my associations come from sunny states, like New Mexico, Arizona, southern California, or Colorado. I imagine sun-bathed fields in the Rocky Mountains featuring dozens of blue columbine flowers in bloom. I imagine the giant magenta blooms of New Mexico cholla beneath an arid blue desert sky, or the bald, parched mountains surrounding Phoenix that look surreal under the sun. To visually enjoy the beauty of the West, the sun is helpful, spotlighting all the highlights. But during and after these rains in Portland, my friend and I were treated to the soft scent of pine, simply due to the sheer abundance of pine trees growing throughout the area. So, while the sun helps to showcase the visual beauty of the West, it is the rain that brings forth its variety of fresh scents. In New Mexico, it was the combination of pine and rain-soaked clay earth; in Phoenix, the scent of hard, wet, desert earth, plus the fresh scent of rosemary bushes that many Phoenicians grow on their lawns. And the scent of rosemary, with their impossibly soft, powder-blue blooms, is, for me, reminiscent of pine. The beauty of interconnection! Things seemingly disparate sometimes expose a level of commonality, when considered in a larger, more embracing view.
