The Darkness

So I am sitting at the firehouse standing in the dark of the room and staring out the window into the darkness of the night. Off to my right is a reflection, from one of the 4 windows in the room, of a blue light. The blue is familiar and so I turn to look and see what it is from. Ding ding the blue color is from the fresh paint, well fresh down here, of the mail dormitory building that also houses the galley, offices and businesses, all 2 of them. The building, number 155, was painted this summer as one of the summer projects. Most people I talked to during the summer really had distain for the blue. I admit I did as well at the time but now as I see it in the light of the night with the light from the outside stairwell shinning onto it I actually like it. It is calming and that is what I need right now. I transition back to my original window to continuing to enjoy the night for a few minutes before I head to bed. Thirty minutes later I finally make my way to my bunk and as I enter my room I see that I have been missing some of the most beautiful horizon that I have seen in year. I look out my bunk room window to see the Royal Society Mountain Range backlit with a layering of colors. Yellow at the bottom followed with a surprising green twice as high as the yellow and topped off with a wonderful and picturesque blue right at the top of the mountain range.

The last time I saw a sunset or sunrise for that matter was many years ago when I was hiking in New Mexico. I know that is something that some people may find hard to believe since I have lived at the foot of one of the best beaches in the world on Cape Cod. But I can honestly tell you that you don’t get the colors over the ocean that you do down here. You still get the layering but it just isn’t the 3 hours that you get down here. Back home you get 20 minutes at best. Now when I was in New Mexico I was hiking and I do have to say that when I was there I saw the most beautiful sunrise and sunset that I could have possibly imagined but down here with the clean air and the 3 hour sunsets it is completely different. The sunsets, and sunrises I would imagine it I was up early enough, start earlier everyday but seem to last all night. Last night’s started at 20h12 (8:12 pm) and it was 23h30 (11:30 pm) when I made it up stairs to my bunk.

I think, besides the length of the sunset, the mountains have a major part in the sunsets. They help to reflect the light in different angles and thus creating different, strike that, more vibrant, long lasting colors that you typically do not see. I have not seen a sunrise down here that could compare to a sunrise over 9,000’+ mountains and over mesa and plateaus. I do look forward to seeing what Mother Nature has in store for us come August after the months of darkness that I have before me.

Stay Frosty
-C
About this posting’s picture,

Well I would think that it is pretty self explanatory but since most people as me about it I will tell you. After Hurricane Katrina I worked down in New Orleans for 9 months. While working there I was assigned many tasks but this one involved checking to make sure that the temporary housing that was being installed was being set up properly. So while working I came up to an intersection and since there was water in the street we were instructed to get out and check to make sure that there was still a road below the water. So I get out and look at the puddle. It was ankle deep and I was able to walk and see thru the whole puddle, so I just back in my car to drive thru it. Well that is when the road gave out. I made it halfway thru the puddle when the road gave out, twice. So I called my buddy who was a few blocks away to come help me. As I am on the phone with him the water starts coming into the car, time to get out! So 5 hours later and 8 feet below the road they finally figure out that at some point the fire hydrant got hit and it was undermining the whole intersection. I made it out by jumping out the window onto the grass which was coincidently when the New Orleans Police rolled up.