Hall Table

Yesterday's raging storm had a parting shot for us. We were awakened last night by rolling thunder that seemed to echo around the hills around us forever....

The sun made a brief appearance this morning, long enough to remind us that it is still up there somewhere and then retreated behind the clouds and more rain. I drove across the Laguna, which floods with some regularity. The Russian River, which is at flood stage gets pushed backwards into the Laguna when there is a high tide, and it did that last night, swamping the main entrance to the town of Sebastopol. Cars were driving through the standing water but ever so slowly, so it took forever for me to get through. 

There were some wonderful photographs to be had, but no place to leave the car in order to take pictures of the hundreds of birds swimming in what is usually a cow pasture. The ditches were full of water which overflowed onto the shoulders. 

By the time I got home, It was raining again and I was reduced, from lack of motivation, to take a picture of our new hall table with the oft blipped end of summer hydrangeas on it. Note to self...buy some beeswax candles to replace the blue ones. I bought the pot in Japan from a potter who was making hand built pots sitting on an overturned bucket in his farmyard. It cost me far more than I paid for it to ship it home, but I have never regretted it.

Last night, in a dignified, heartfelt, elegiac speech President Obama bid farewell to a nation he obviously loves despite the roadblocks put in his way by the Republicans. This morning, his successor gave a press conference. The contrasts don't bear thinking about....nor does the state of high anxiety that so many of us are feeling as the inauguration approaches....