SmartSeeds

Color and a Rainy Island Day

Two puffins resting closely together on a rocky ledge on St. Paul Island
Two puffins tucked closely together on a rocky island ledge.

I’m feeling especially thankful for the time Carlos has had off these last few days.

We have been able to wander without hurrying, follow the roads where they lead us, and stop whenever something catches our attention. Yesterday brought rocky cliffs crowded with cormorants, puffins tucked together on a ledge, fur seals along the shore, and small green things growing wherever they could find space among the sand and stones.

Cormorants standing at different levels along a rocky sea cliff on St. Paul Island
Cormorants keeping watch from the ledges of a rocky island cliff.
Female northern fur seal looking up at a large adult male on a rocky shoreline
A female northern fur seal looks up toward a large adult male beside the water.

Today, though, we are staying home.

Rain is settling over the island, and it feels like the right kind of day for a warm mug of coffee and a quiet sit in front of the fireplace. I keep thinking about everything we saw yesterday, especially the pockets of color scattered through an otherwise muted landscape.

Along the beach, greens pushed up between driftwood and volcanic stones. Tiny flowers appeared among the rocks. Beach peas bloomed in shades of violet, lavender, and magenta, which were lovely to see and even lovelier to smell. They are also the subject of my latest paint making experiment.

Pale green coastal plant with tiny blue flowers growing among rounded volcanic beach rocks
A delicate beach green stretching between the stones, with the smallest blue flowers at the ends of its stems.
Small yellow wildflowers growing among dense coastal greenery and lichen-covered rocks
Small yellow flowers brightening a thick patch of coastal green.
Bright green coastal plant growing beside driftwood and volcanic stones on a sandy beach
A bright beach green growing between driftwood, sand, and smooth island stones.

The gathered blossoms are now at the beginning of another journey, this time from flower to pigment and, perhaps, eventually to paint. I never know exactly what color a plant will surrender once the process begins. The vivid purple in the petals may remain, shift completely, or disappear into something quieter.

Purple and magenta beach pea blossoms gathered for a natural paintmaking experiment on St. Paul Island
Fragrant beach pea blossoms gathered during yesterday’s adventure, now beginning their journey toward becoming paint.

That uncertainty is part of what keeps me curious.

For now, the experiment can wait. Today is for coffee, rain against the windows, a warm fire, and gratitude for time spent adventuring together.

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