09: A Collection of Skies [2 April 2013]

As homogenous as the weather seems to be, I'm starting to pick up on the nuances in day to day changes. We had a few patches of rain---just a little splattering of a light mist to remind us that yes, the clouds do still function. I've noticed that the sun feels harsher on the days when it's sunny, and more than that, that there's actually a significant difference in sun intensity depending on how much dust or moisture happens to be in the air, regardless of whether or not there are any clouds. Sometimes I can tell how hot it will feel based on how clear the distant cityscape appears.

On cloudless days, the sky lights up in a brilliant orange, then passes into a strange uncolored flatness until nighttime settles in. On our first truly cloudy day, I couldn't put a finger on why everything had a sudden sense of familiarity until I realized that I was finally seeing a quality of light that looked almost exactly as the usual daylight of Pittsburgh; I was seeing an environment that had finally started to look natural to me, in a light that I attributed to a much different place, and I finally understood what it means to be homesick.