Monday, September 08, 2014

Record Rain


September 8, 2014
   Woke up to heavy rain slamming the roof at about 3:15 a.m. and got up to close the car windows. Had them down a crack to cut the heat. Ran out with a Clint Eastwood poncho and straw hat and underpants and shoes. There's an image no one wants to see, even me. Of course, that woke me up big time. Rained steady for more than five hours, which I have never encountered in all my years on the desert. Usually, it pours for a half hour and then it's gone with wind and dust taking the place of actual water. This was Noah-like, steady, hard and relentless. Woke up to a sea of water.


Old Stage Road running like a river, with Ratcliff Ridge sogged in behind it.

Our front yard looked like a lake:


Canoe rides, anyone?

As Kathy mentioned, from Germany, the plants are no doubt singing up a storm.


Ratcliff Ridge sogged in, part II

   I mentioned the other day that I must have a thousand photos of Ratcliff Ridge in all kinds of weather conditions, like this:



And this:



And this:


A full moon over Ratcliff Ridge

   The irony being, the Ratcliffs have never seen this because they live on top of the ridge while we live across the street and get to view "their" ridge every day, all day, in every kind of light. Weird, huh?

   I've painted the ridge several times, but I'm afraid my paintings don't match up to the reality. But then you know what Ms. Okeeffe said about realism:

"Nothing is less real than realism."
—Georgia O'Keeffe