I went for a walk at the arboretum yesterday afternoon. It was still overcast and the temperature was around 68°F. Almost perfect weather for it, if it hadn't been so humid after all the rain we had received overnight.
As I walked the path that winds its way around the hundred acre park, I couldn't help notice the effects of the heavy rain we had received. My backyard rain gauge read 5 inches. And most of that fell over a period of 10 hours or so.
The paved path was littered with all sorts of debris that had been washed onto it by the rain. Lots of mulch from the wildflower patches, as well as mud, lay across the path. I was amazed at the number of dead earthworms on the pavement as well. I guess the ground was so saturated by the water that they were washed out of the soil. The birds were enjoying quite a feast.
The two mile long path is quite hilly, and in the low areas, water partially or completely covered the pavement. I've encountered this before, so I knew how far off the path I needed to detour around the water to avoid sinking to my ankles in mud.
The drive home took me down a street lined with very old pin oaks. There was a lot of debris from them littering the roadway. Some of it probably came down due to the wind, but a lot likely resulted from the torrent of rain.
The weather fascinates me. Its power and potential for destruction, specifically. Yet in that destruction, lies the promise of renewal. Mother Nature's way of 'cleaning house.'
when i was living in hawaii, my condo faced away from the ocean towards the alawai canal, the main drainage canal between the mountains on the other side of honolulu, and the beachfront area in waikiki. we had storms that would drop 10 or 12 inches in under an hour, with the streets flooded above waist high. it was quite spectacular. and as fast as the rain came, it went away, and everything returned to normal; streets empty, sidewalks cleaned. only fly in the ointment was the styrofoam containers. now in hawaii, the number one local meal is called a plate lunch. everybody, tourists and local alike, eat plate lunch on oahu. everybody. and most of these containers are styrofoam. gecko on a stick, sticky rice, and some sort of veggie, they are cheap, and tasty. but hardly anyone uses the wastecans. ohau is one of the dirtiest places i've been to in the united states. unbelievable. but that's for another post. what we would see after the big rains was the entire canal, which stretches a couple of miles from about the zoo, along the golf course on one side, waikiki on the other, down to the harbor where gilligan and friends left for their two hour tour, was the entire surface covered in styrofoam. completely covered, and it would take a couple of hours for it all to end up in the harbor. just another reason why i don't go back to visit hawaii. i remember it when the waters were filled with fish, not disposable diapers and dead beer cans.
Posted by: bothenook | October 20, 2004 at 18:48