String of Pearls In The Sky

After a City Council meeting, I'm pretty wired. Tuesday night's City Council meeting was no exception- it lasted until 1:30am Wednesday morning, and I was still wide awake.

When I got home, I sat outside on our backyard patio to wind down. It was pitch black outside. It was just me, a bottle of Corona, and our dog, George W. It was so dark I couldn't see the dog until his face was right next to me.

And here's what I love about where we live: looking eastward at the sky toward the Columbia River Gorge, I could see the landing lights of a string of aircraft on final approach to PDX. The proverbial final approach "sting of pearls".

We're on the approach path, so they all eventually fly right over us. I can see them in the distance after they go west toward PDX, only their red recognition lights showing from behind, eventually getting lost in the tree line.

I've loved these moments since we moved to Troutdale. Dead quiet. A sky full of stars overhead. The silent string of pearls in the black sky. One by one, the landing lights are so close I think I can touch them. The noise of the engines become more pronounced as they pass overhead, then gradually silence returns again.

I love where we live. I sure do.