Last night we had a couple of beers, a great conversation, and then a wonderful dinner (roast chicken, every roasted root vegetable currently available, plus steamed cabbage lightly tossed in butter and pepper). Outside, the light was eerie, a combination of the golden hour and a gathering storm. The air looked slippery and electric, like gold rubbed over graphite. Against the intense greens–pale emerald alder, glass green grass, dark fir–the lilac and hot red hydrangea popped liked something from a sixties psychedelic poster. Every leaf and petal was distinct and perfect. We admired it for a while over dinner. As we made tea, thunder rumbled and lightning lickered.
We shook our heads at the strangeness of Seattle weather, and as the rain began we settled down to watch the season finale of 24.
The doorbell rang. It was our neighbour, Elbereth, standing under an umbrella and pointing at the most astonishing double gold and graphite rainbow. She just wanted us to see it.
It’s difficult to capture that kind of light, so these pictures don’t really do it justice, but here it is (courtesy of Kelley this time).
I love living in a place where the sky does this and our neighbours point it out. Life is good.
Nicola Griffith 
I had lunch at Google– they have like, fancy schmancy meals done by visiting private chefs like Bitali & whatever– & we ate it outside on a balcony; a whole slew of various asparaguses, hake, tortalini, & also many roots. We overlooked the Empire StatebBuilding & the Chrysler building. Ah, living in a place where that IS the sky!
Plus I work in the Flatiron building, so every day is a little bit awesome cause of that.
(Not brinksmanship; just sharing from the opposite, citified direction)
I have notice all the blooming things in Seattle popping like that over the past few days and it is glorious.
I don’t feel one-upped. I think cities have their own romance, their own beauty.
I’ve been in the Flatiron building once–a triangular office right on the pointy part. Pretty cool. And I think the Chrysler building is just astonishing. One day I actually go inside…
Was someone trying to woo you into the fold?
Well, wooing is an ongoing process, isn’t it?
But, no, not specifically at that time. Actually, I’d just turned down an offer, but was making friends, just hanging out.
It all sounds perfectly lovely. I love the smell of lilacs (we do get them some in LA, but really it’s too warm here) and the look of hydrangeas. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a red one though. And of course you have a neighbor named Elbereth who brings news of a double rainbow…
“like gold rubbed over graphite…” Well said! I’m back to work on a fire lookout and the nuances of skies you are savoring are my favorite part of time on a mountain top: an orange ball of sun dropping through dark rain clouds, sunrise reinventing the days, how the Painted Desert looked like a live creature stretching it’s legs to take a walk when a day of blustery winds raised the red dust into movement.