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Musings: February 2004
Friday, February 27, 2004
Commuting to the uniquely exquisite city of San Francisco is an experience for me each day. The natural scenery is absolutely stunning. Beginning my trip from the East Bay hills, I am treated with a panoramic view of The City across the bay. The scenery is sometimes so awe-inspiring, it could easily be construed as one’s morning prayer.
Not too long ago, as I descended the hills, the entire San Francisco Bay was completely blanketed with a thick layer of fog, not unlike a giant piece of cotton batting, soft, white and fluffy. The blanket of fog was smoothly spread out over the entire bay, but for when it rolled over the infamous Alcatraz Island, where it rose to the top of its peak and down again over its side, creating a “lump” in the blanket. One could clearly see Mt. Tam (Mt. Tamalpais as fondly called), the Golden Gate Bridge, and the taller buildings of both cities of Oakland and San Francisco peaking over the thick covering. If you were unfamiliar with the area, you could not know there was a bay underneath the fog.
Last week, this blanket returned, but with slight modifications. It was as white, as smooth and as striking as before but it was even much thicker. This time, there was no Alcatraz lump. Alcatraz was completely under. In addition, there were bunches of dazzling white, silver-lined clouds floating right above the layer of fog, some actually touching the blanket below, all like plump, wooly lambs dancing on top of the blanket.
But yesterday presented an especially unforgettable sight. As I crossed the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, I got a good look at the new picture unfolding before me. It had rained earlier and as the weather cleared, a most astounding rainbow appeared. It must have been the largest and most brilliant one I had ever seen. The rainbow span was wide and extended, one end dipping into the bay, creating a warm, colorful and magical aura about the water. The other end of the rainbow disappeared midway its span into the gray clouds, still hovering by, weaving its stripes of fading colors here and there, but never once revealing its enigmatic pot of gold. I could see that the vanishing span, if extended, would have arched over and ended right in the heart of The City. But then, maybe it already had.
posted by Leslie
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