optic, a link to an article by Jim Lewis at Slate, in which he shares some interesting thoughts inspired by the first photograph. ~~~~~~~~~~
Late this afternoon, after falling steadily for some 35 hours, the rain at last relented. Although the sun did not emerge, the birds did. A crow perched atop the utility pole in front of my house, and three acorn woodpeckers clung to the lee side (a breeze having sprung up) of the same pole. It's odd how woodpeckers seem quite comfortable standing at a 90 degree angle to the ground. A few blue jays screeched at one another from the branches of the trees (perhaps they were making fun of the canted woodpeckers) and a flock of small brown birds chirped happily as they hopped about on the wet lawn. Even under grey skies, everything looks much nicer after a rain. The pavements and pine needles and rooftops are all shiny, and the tree trunks and wooden fences are dark. The sourgrass in the flower bed by the front door is covered with tiny bright water beads, and larger drops hang from the leaf tips of the bushes and the twig tips of the mulberry tree. Unfortunately, I didn't have time for a walk. I would have liked to go listen to the runoff gurgling through the small seasonal stream at the bottom of the hill to the east. Maybe tomorrow.