The local weather reporters spent the last three days warning us about this week's storms, in that heightened sense of hysteria that Los Angeles exhibits whenever it's supposed to rain.
The first raindrops started to fall yesterday, but it was a slow and steady drip. Today is a different story. This is a gullywasher. Sudden gusts of wind rush up the canyon and the leaves of the jacaranda move like a woman tossing her hair. It's as if someone threw a bucket of water at the windows and on the flat roof of our house. The gutters fill and overflow.
Our house, porous as it is with jalousie windows and chimney flue, breathes as the wind does, changing the pressure so that doors pull shut, and cold current runs along the floor. It smells like charcoal from the fireplace, wet dog, wet leaves.
The southwest corner of our house reminds me of a boat the way our floor-to-ceiling windows ringed by a narrow deck, jut out over the falling away hillside below. Today as the rain swirls around us it reminds me of an ark, as if we're riding wave-tossed on storming seas.
11 comments:
That *is* a gullywasher! I hope you remain safe. I've seen too many houses slide down cliffs after a rainfall like that, and I worry about you when I hear of storms like this, or fires like you had a few months ago.
"Riding wave-tossed on stormy seas."
What an imaginative idea.
I think it's funny that people in L.A. freak out when there's rain coming. It sounds like the West Coast reacts to drizzle the way we react to snow.
I like that expression~gullywasher!
I hope you are all safe. We have heard the news about your rains.
xoxo
Jane
If this keeps up, we're going to need an ark. Could you steer yours my way?
I heard them say that CA is going to get bucket loads of rain...stay safe.
Sue
Wow...that's some rain coming down. Of course here in Seattle it's an everyday occurrence in winter. But, I'd rather rain than snow like we had last winter. YUCK.
Stay high and dry!!!
It certainly got with it today. I welcome more of the same. Let's hope the majority hits the mountains in the form of snow to help us through the summer.
I find it exhilarating!
Holy moly.
And, gosh, I'm struck by the look of your house exterior from what I can see in the photos.
Anyhow, I hope that this is a welcome rain and not anything bad. Have a sweet week!
We got it last night. Thunder and lightening and the whole dramatic chorus.
These pictures make me want to put on the best raingear I can find and stand outside. There's such beauty in extreme weather, and you've captured it so expertly here.
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