Before the Rain Squall

Out of the sun
Design of living flamed,
Slept, pushed, and cried
A path until the lush cool top
Submerged the ravaged rock,
And shy as the first ammonite
The first bird flew;
Below the dust turned to green,
Above it turned to blue


from The Earth is Builded, by Marion Louise Bliss


This photo is where I was shortly before a sudden rain squall sent me scrambling back into the woods and left me totally soaked by the time I returned to the cabin. After all the heat we’ve had recently it was hard to get upset, and the moisture seemed to bring out intense colors: lush greens in the woods set against the bright red of the bunchberries, and colors of all sorts jumbled together on the slippery cobblestones. If it wasn’t for the thunder I might have been tempted to enjoy it longer.

Fortunately this was after I finished the project which has been entertaining me all weekend. The extra shows about half the progress made on a boardwalk section of the East Trail, along with the creative driftwood piece de resistance.

This work was particularly satisfying for several reasons. One is that the original boardwalk was built during my honeymoon. Another is that significant portions of the wood are from a section of dock which washed ashore over the winter. It was too big to really move when I first came across it, but I managed to drag it up closer to the high water mark. The next time I came it was wonderfully bashed to pieces, but hadn’t washed away, and I was able to toss the wood up beyond the high water mark. Finally putting it to use months later was very gratifying.