Hey Larry- That's a great question, to which I don't really know the answer. But here's some thoughts. The power of suggestion is enormous. People are absolutely convinced that they prefer their own brand of soda, even after blind taste tests show they actually like a cheap store brand better. Just reading the start of your question, I was eager to go to the wonderful Cape Ann. So it's very plausible to say that the high-tone set have formed a pleasant collective delusion about how special their place is.
On the other hand, the color of the sky does depend some on what sorts of particles (dust, little water droplets,...) are around. There's nothing physically impossible about having the typical lighting at one place differ from that at another. It's to be expected. Lots of us have the feeling that Tuscan light is special, although then we often feel that the light somewhere else is just like Tuscany at times. How much of this is self-delusion?
Maybe some more knowledgeable readers will help us find out.
Mike W.
(published on 05/10/2011)
