Rainbows in the House

When we first moved to northern Virginia over a year ago we really liked the west view. I particularly like the evening hours, dusk and sunset. We like to play iPad games on the balcony in the evening before settling in for tv watching, but also sit a bit after our morning walk to cool off before brunch before the intense sun hits. At this time of the year and when spring arrives, the sun is moving further East now, and further west then. It directly hits the mirror in our dining room and creates a fairy wonderland in the house. The light bounces off the glass and creates rainbows all over the house. It’s almost blinding it is so bright and the rainbows get more intense as time passes, then just fade away. This phenomenon only lasts for a few days and really gives us the impression that fall is on the way. Depending on where the light hits, it’s quite interesting - on the countertop, the walls, the couch, the carpet under the couch, the marble floor in the foyer, the wine glass, the water in the wine glass, and on the food while we are eating dinner at the kitchen peninsula. One of the requirements of our new house was that it needed to have a westerly exposure. It makes all the difference in the world. 

Chasing Rainbows

It’s been almost five weeks since we have been hibernating. We no longer take walks, have groceries delivered, and make midnight runs to pick up our mail in the lobby of our building. This blog usually has topics that run the gamut of trips to the city, programs at the Library of Congress, gardens in and around DC, our morning walks, etc. It’s been a bit more difficult to get creative. But if you look hard enough, something invariably will pop up. And it did last week and several days since. When the season is right and the sun is out, the rays reflect off the large mirror in the dining room to create a fairyland of rainbows. The bright light also brings the plants on the console table to life. I first noticed it this year when we were sitting at the counter for dinner. The light was hitting my dinner plate, placemat, and salad bowl. So I followed it around the house over the course of the next hour or so. The back of the couch, the entryway, the kitchen countertop, on the rug underneath the chair, sparkling on the refrigerator and cabinets, the Kleenex box and everywhere else. It’s really magical - especially now. I’m so glad we moved to northern Virginia last year, away from our tiny condo in an 1890’s building on Capitol Hill. But I do miss our trips in to the city to break up the day. Wonder when we will be able to do that again?