Snapshots

I am golden yellow, crimson red, and burnt orange strewn like confetti beneath your feet, a watercolor painting against a backdrop of violet hues in the nighttime sky. A gentle breeze flows through locks of hair, giving way to the humidity in the air. Dense fog resembles an airy milk in the sky, making driving a daring undertaking, oh my!

Drops of water collect like beads of sweat on windshields, squeaking clean and dry with wipers that swiftly sway left.....right....left....right. Spittle turns into downpour. Left! Right! Left! Right! Rainfall cannot make up its mind, a game of cat and mouse, a distraction from rush hour traffic on I-5 and Aurora Avenue....toying with impatient commuters. Back tires screech in resistance to the mingling of oil and water, while traveling an upward battle on the concrete sloped roads of Denny and Madison Avenue, which had only been touched by puddles of tears briefly until I arrived in full force.

The sweet smell of lightly burnt marshmallows and chocolate melting between two graham crackers over a roaring campfire, overlooking the Cascades. Laughing until everyone is full of comfort food and storytelling. Dear sun has gone into hiding, ushering in the cycle known so well to dwellers of Seattle.

Fat and heavy pumpkins to carve, seeds to salt and toast, blueberry, apple and pecan pies to bake. Carmel corn to get stuck between the crevices of your teeth, hot chocolate to warm you from the inside out. Dressed up for a world of make believe, candy corns, Kit Kats, and Dum Dums spill out of sugar infested bags....treats collected, tricks an afterthought. Anticipation of downtime that comes with the last Thursday of November, reflecting, revisiting, remembering, and reconnecting with me as we near the end.

I am fall.

I am the unexpected visitor that covers the city in a blanket of thick, sparkling white and penetrating silence. Vehicles crawl along the thick mixture of dark brown sand and snow. Hitting patches of black ice, eyes widening with terror, hands tightly gripped around the wheel, trying to respond without slamming abruptly on the brakes into a spinning frenzy. Twinkling lights and festive ornaments dangle from pine trees on the city blocks of Pike and Pine. Lethargy kicks in as days shorten, darkness creeping up against the end of a workday, the pitch black sky and cold air giving a false sense of time...as if it's the middle of the night during rush hour traffic.

Pedestrians sprint into Starbuck's, Tully's, Seattle's Best, and Victrola in hopes of kicking the lurking S.A.D. to the curb. Safeway pharmacy has prepared for my arrival, providing over-the-counter sunshine in a bottle.

Whip out the Snuggies and blankets, huddle inside....or hustle and bustle to the department stores with a holiday shopper's stride. Prepare your loved ones for delays to the airport in Seatac, because if you don't they might not wanna come back. I am the one who can make or break the greatness of this city....but if you don't like me, you can leave....it won't be a pity.

I am winter.

A chirping bird near your open window tempts you out to play, a gentle reminder: the rain is slipping away. Acres of tulips as far as the eye can see. Sampling wine and a smorgasboard of cheese at Pike's Place market, the sun sparkles like diamonds atop Puget Sound and its ferries. Getting down on hands and knees, tending to the soil and daydreaming of plump tomatoes, radishes, and bright bell peppers arrival.

Enjoying smoked salmon upon a warmly toasted bagel and cream cheese, watching sailboats glide by, you are mesmerized by the Olympic Mountains. Days trips to Mt. Si and Mt. Rainier too, visitors from out of town to spend time with you. Climbing straight up for miles with a camera and backpack, stopping periodically at an overlook for lukewarm water and a snack.

I am spring.

Record breaking heat waves and breathtaking sunsets, wearing sunglasses every day and not needing an umbrella for months, I'll bet. Daytime celebrations before Fremont's solstice parade, French pressed coffee, mimosas, and people watching plans to be made. Oyster Dome, Ballard Locks, Golden Gardens and more...this time of year, never a bore. Dogs who want to play the moment you walk through the door, ferry rides and island adventures galore.

Not always depressing and raining 24/7, I am Seattle's favorite, the little slice of heaven. I make all the others that much more worthwhile, repeating the cycle annually with a reassuring smile.

I am summer.

I am snapshots of the Seattle life.