Autumn In Nordskot
In the first week of October, my oldest sister and autumn arrived simultaneously. September had held on to the warmth and green of summer for as long as it could, but October painted the flora and fauna of Nordskot and our island home in different shades of brown.
The grasses a golden-brown, the birch trees a yellow-brown, all the other trees were either orange-brown or red-brown. Even the sea weed was an autumnal shade. The mountains here and afar remained their same granite rock color, but a chill in the air that officially brought out all things woolly from our closets suggested it was only a matter of time before they would be dusted white.
Emily had come from Brooklyn to visit for a week. Just like with Taylor and Eliza before her, we went for an introductory tour of the quaint village of Nordskot.
We tied up the boat at the docks and strolled along the one road until it concluded in the first beach (above). It had been 10 months since I saw her last so we caught up while picking up shells.
We followed a trail along the coast towards the farthest beach, the one at the very end of the path where I had spent many a summer’s day, the one that is Caribbean-like to the eye, not to dipped toes.
Emily signed the traveler’s ledger, probably one of the last people to sign for this year, summer was over now.
As Emily wrote her name, the date and a little message, I monitored the skies: a dark cloud loomed and the winds picked up.
Where were the winds carrying these ominous clouds, grey with cold rain? I stood for a moment, and watch the clouds moving towards us.
We headed back along the one road to the boat, hoping to make it back before the storm. It began to rain as we tied the boat back up on the island and headed back indoors for a cozy cup of tea.
We were relaxing in the library of the Mainhouse when this insane rainbow appeared.
The arch itself wasn’t a surprise given the strange weather, but it was the most local rainbow I’ve ever seen stretching from the mainland to Naustholmen, our neighbor’s island. Set against the gloom of the grey sky, the white house illuminated in the same sunlight creating the rainbow, both reflected in the Sauna’s pond, it was a special moment.
Again, it was wonderful to have my sister visit, to share this place with her. It saved me the impossible task of trying to explain the magic of this place.