Dang! Water!

dang-water

Over the last 24 hours, we got 4 inches / 10 cm. of rain.  Here, the soil is clay, and drainage is very poor.  As well, the infrastructure for handling massive amounts of water is not the best because we don’t get rain.

Rain?  What’s that?

We haven’t seen much in the past 6 years!  In our own back yard, we were flooded, literally, with inches of water creeping ever closer to the back patio doors.  Finally, Josh took a submersible pump and hooked it up; we pumped out about 1800 gallons based on a 2-hour run with 900 gallons / hour (about 3600 l. / hour).  He ran a hose from the back yard to the corner of the sidewalk, and the water poured into the street.  And this was in the dark of the night . . . 

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So, what do we get out of massive rain besides mudslides, flood damage, fallen trees, tipped-over fire trucks, and general chaos?  Greenery!  New flowers!  Mossy rocks!  Mud!

And to celebrate – and explore – I returned to the park I went to last weekend, different cameras in hand.  Just in a week’s time, new growth is more than evident – buds are now tiny, bright leaves; the water in the creek is a bit higher.  There were little changes, too, such as the mossy rocks are greener than before, more palm trees are dead(ish) – for which I say, “Hooray!” – and little mushrooms coming up from under the fallen leaves.

Mushrooms in the Leaves

And more rain is on the way!

 

Edge

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In the last 24 hours we got 4 inches / 10 cm rain.  This was taken last Saturday.  I should get out today to see how the same creek is looking . . . we actually had to pump out the back yard with a submersible pump and hose as the water was creeping over the patio.  Terra Firma in our neck of the world has a lot of clay, and the result is poor drainage, made even poorer, in our case, by too many impervious walls.  Overall, we are fine, but when a storm like the ones we are having hits, flooding and catastrophe follow.

Creek, ii

creek-ii

This is a view of the little creek that runs through our neighborhood park.  It’s a pleasant place to wander.  When I went there this weekend, a border collie was doing what they do best – running and plopping in the water, staying submerged, and then shaking it all out.  A family was there, exploring and showing their toddlers the crayfish.  (I think the dad was the funniest – a big little boy!)  I was enjoying myself, being an audience to it all, while finding new growth, leaves, and viewing a magnificent sky filled with clouds.

I did post in LR and OnOne, using a VSCO preset for Fuji Astia in the final rinse (so to speak.)

Yet Another One

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Here is another of the four “good” bird pics I got over the weekend . . . having never been a bird watcher, once I began looking a little more closely, I really got into it.  New hobby?  Certainly a pleasant way to spend some time.

Don’t know what this fella is, so the word is out . . .

Note:  This is a young White-Crowned Sparrow, as opposed to the old ones from a few days ago.