Seattle does this wonderful thing with light, sometimes. Part of the sky will be dark and stormy, exceedingly grim, threatening a downpour. Another part has the white fluffy clouds and patches of blue sky that let the sun through. The effect is extraordinary. And it’s generally dry enough to enjoy it. Temporarily.

When the sun popped out briefly, so did I. Over the drumlin, along the transmission lines, which were made beautiful by the stormlight.

Thing about winter is, the leaves are off, and that reveals things unseen in summer. I got to see some interesting drainage, which I’ll hopefully puzzle a post out of someday, and then crossed the road through a screen of small trees that would have been impassible in a different season. Beyond them, there’s a stand of very tall trees in a very swampy area, where one has to tread carefully but can see spectacular views. Especially looking straight up.

Amazing, aren’t they? Tall, stark, look like they’re holding up the sky. Note the fluffy white clouds and patches of blue sky. Turn round, and you’d see the heavy blue-black clouds that promise winter ain’t half over yet. But it’s on its way out, according to the budding trees, and the sprouting grass. We should have lots of flowers soon, perhaps earlier than normal.

But not yet. Now, we have a beautiful broken light, lowering clouds, and our old erratic friend.

And the skeletons of trees loom over the road, gleaming against the storm-dark skies.

Turn round, and the skies are benign. Well, Seattle-benign.

So there it was, just over an hour of ethereal light. But when there are dark clouds in the west, you know what’s going to happen next. And I lingered far too long in that slightly swampy grove, for reasons I will explain later (but have to do with some delightfully abundant wood mushrooms and a wee metallic green beetle). By the time I’d begun wandering through the park on the way home, the clouds led off with some hail, then a bit of rain. A few minutes after I arrived home, drizzle turned to downpour, and the meterologists earned their plaudits. Yup. Back to the Gray. But I appreciate it, because the rarity of those sun-broken hours makes them all the more precious.

Tomorrow, I’ll begin to introduce you to more of the delights along the way. Put on your detective hats and get out your guides, because we have mysteries in abundance to solve. Serious work can wait just a bit. Sometimes, it’s necessary to pause and revel in the beauties abounding around us before we’re ready to roll up our sleeves and tackle the other stuff.