One can hardly expect to visit the British Isles without getting seriously wet on a least one day. Today was that day. But it takes more than a little precipitation to dampen the spirits or suppress an adventurous mind.
Rain washes the world and helps us see it anew. How lucky we were to be in a place where color dominated the scene. Thanks to one man’s foresight a hundred years ago, what today might be a blanket bog is now bursting with vegetation from the tallest red cedar to the tiniest of flowering plants. Rhododendrons screamed with brilliant reds or pinks while azaleas in orange and yellow hid beneath.
It was not only the blossoms upon which our eyes drew sustenance. Just as water washing upon a stony shore brings out different hues, showers on a cloudy day enhance the myriad shades of the foliage. Delicate and new spring greens sat hand-in-hand with forest green or maroon or dappled whites. Contorted terra cotta colored trunks and limbs stood out against the earthy browns or palest olives. Tucked deep in Loch Ewe, The National Trust of Scotland’s Inverewe Gardens hosted our morning explorations.
Thanks to our friends in the village of Stornoway, our afternoon disembarkation was easy in spite of the wind that so frequently accompanies a weather front. We found ourselves comfortably carried across the Isle of Lewis to walk amongst ancient standing stones. Many ideas have been proposed as to the meaning of the lunar monument at Callanish. Quite possibly we might never really know. Much has changed in 4000 years in the way mankind views the world and one generation’s experiences often don’t translate to those of another. Whatever the original intent, the beauty of the place alone added meaning to our day.
Here in Scotland, a wee dram of whiskey is thought to warm body and soul. What better way to greet the evening light than to gather with friends and lift a glass to the joys of a rainy day.
