Traveling through Sound and Smell

This last week my family (all the Hinton's) spent time on the Oregon Coast. Erik and I have traveled a little, but it has been a few years and this was the first time I have gone somewhere and I couldn't see even colors. I was diagnosed with cataracts and glaucoma over a year ago, but we haven't gone anywhere new since then, this was the first time I had to form mental images without even a hint of light or color to help. Oregon was overcast much of the time and light is my best friend when I try to picture colors. I had the distinct impression of grey. the weight of the air against my skin, the angry roar of the waves beyond the shore and the icy fingers of shadows lurking everywhere. The longer we stayed the more I could imagine green. Green smells like fresh cut grass, the rustle of pine needles in the wind, and the smell of earth and life. I found a stretch of beach that wasn't wet and I buried my feet in the soft, warm sand. It felt like the inside of a fresh baked loaf of bread, and I saw golden brown. We hiked to the top of a 687 foot waterfall and I tasted blue. It was peppermint, jasmine and ice.
I don't know if my mental pictures are accurate, or even if it matters. I had the privilege of feeling, tasting, smelling, and hearing a rainbow.