by Calvin Robinson

Created on: October 11, 2008   Last Updated: December 16, 2008

Of all the natural phenomena I have ever observed, the rainbow is one of my favorites. Rainbows are not audible, so they often go undetected. A person must be somewhat observant and actually taking in their surroundings to notice a rainbow. Rainbows probably are considered so special because a person is highly in tune with their surroundings at that moment, or utterly surprised and astonished when they accidentally observe one. After a rain shower, if the sun is up, a rainbow always exists somewhere. Of course the logic of a rainbow always existing somewhere does not really fit with the mystique of the beloved phenomenon.

As a child I always loved rainbows, and I particularly loved the way they silently and mysteriously appeared to randomly exist near my home in the Southern Appalachians. I quickly learned to look for rainbows anytime a spring shower passed and it seemed they rarely showed up for my pleasure. I do recall, when seeing one, I did not want it to go away. I was always disappointed when that colorful arc stated to fade and I felt powerless to preserve this beautiful display of nature. I did not understand the science of rainbows and really thought they were a very rare and precious occurance for sure.

As an adult, I grew to understand the science of rainbows better and it did take away from the mystique a bit. However, I still loved to see one of these natural spectral displays. I lived on the front range of the Rockies near Denver Colorado for a while in the early 1990s and the love of rainbows was refreshed in my heart. It seemed I saw a rainbow every time it rained there. Of course the climate is much drier than here in the East and so the displays were still rare. I noticed in Denver, that I almost always had a huge view of my horizon and this realization made me better understand rainbows. As a child, I rarely saw them because I could not see enough of the horizon with all the mountains closely surrounding me. With my view of the planes to the East, my vantage points around Denver conditioned me to become excited with anticipation each time a rain shower appeared.

I enjoyed the many rainbows I saw in the five or so years I spent in Denver. I probably saw more rainbows in those five years, while I lived in Colorado, than in all the rest of my fifty years combined. That common occurance of rainbow sightings did not make me enjoy them any less. It seems each display of color is still unique and I grew to love that aspect of chance even more. Though

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