A WHITER SHADE OF PALE

So, it's been a bit disappointing, the Kaua'i weather during this trip.  I've seen more long pants and long sleeves and light jackets than ever before.  I brought two long-sleeved tops and one pair of long pants.  It may be time to go to the Mall.

But yesterday, as we sat on the Terrace overlooking the pool and out to the beach, we noted a brightness to the gray.  Others were lamenting another cloudy day, but not us.  We knew.  Because we are masters of evaluating the various shades of gray and what lies beyond the cloud cover that may look relentless, but actually is just a tricky disguise.

I mean, my god, it was such a BRIGHT gray that slight shadows were being cast.  There was a perceptible (OK, subtle) increase in ambient temperature.  This was a friggin' SUNNY DAY!

We started to shed our clothing and wriggle into our swimsuits for a day at the beach.  And sure enough, within an hour or two -- bright sunshine!  Oh, ye of little faith.

When we first moved to the Seattle area in 1982 we happened upon a documentary on some TV channel about an artist who loved to paint the Northwest.  He spoke of the amazing array of color and the shifting and beautiful shades of gray.  We had just moved from a barrier island off the coast of Charleston in South Carolina, where sunny days and blue skies were about as expected as Christmas in December.  So, we totally cracked up as this dude waxed on about the beauty of gray.

Soon, we got it.  And while that particular brand of beauty can get old after several months straight of carefully scanning the skies, observing those shifting clouds, looking for any promise of a whiter shade of pale, we are now expert at predicting a sunny day even when that sun is heavily filtered.

We got the best spot on the beach; the non-believers having abandoned the day for indoor activities.  Silly folk.

At least, that's the view from here…. ©