The Fall Out Kid
The ash eventually cleared up. A lot of it blew away. The wind here can blow something fierce and is generally called Schnooks.
Back in the 1940's when folks from all over were moving in here to work at the Hanford Site where the "Bomb" was built, they called the local breeze "Termination Winds." They were so bad that some folks couldn't stand them and terminated their employment and left. The winds are still with us and sometimes when they blow trees the power fails. Usually it's just a matter of every minute particle known to man blowing and falling. Then it sifts and slithers through every opening no matter how small.
One thing that doesn't fall here is the summer temperature. It can hover right around the 100 mark for days. But then in the fall, about September, the mercury starts to lower. Quiet seems to fall all around you as russet and yellow leaves silently drift downward. One early morning the mums that are still blooming shimmer with a faint sparkle of frost. You know it's time to get the sweaters washed and bring in the last of the tomatoes.
Late one evening there is the scent of wood smoke on the frigid air. You linger in the cold long enough to glance heavenward to the vast desert sky that is spreading with swirls of rose and gold. The sun is sinking behind Rattlesnake Mountain just beyond the breadth of the great Columbia River. Darkness deepens and stars begin to twinkle. You know you were destined to come and live in this beautiful desert. It must have been written in the stars.
In my case it probably was a falling star.
In the heat of the summer I've wondered why I stay in this hot, dry land. But now I remember. It is for this, the peacefulness of fall that renews the child-like anticipation I once had, looking forward to the excitement of winter. That same excitement is renewed with the first twitter and bloom of a desert spring.
It is difficult to realize I have lived here for twenty-two years. But I have and this kid, as the seasons change, is still falling in and out of love with Eastern Washington's desert.
Links: To visit Eastern Washington on the Internet see: The Tri-Cities http://www.visittri-cities.com/firstpage... Kennewick was first the home of the Chemnapum Indians. The name means "Winter Haven." Pasco is near the site where the Lewis and Clark
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