Lilies in the Rain

In yesterday's blip, I talked about the big rains that came upon central Pennsylvania on Thursday afternoon, and the resulting floods, and even a tornado (yes, the weather service confirmed that a tornado had touched down near Boalsburg Thursday afternoon shortly after 4 pm!).

On Friday morning, my curiosity got the better of me, and once again, I took a circuitous route to work so I could survey the devastation firsthand. I had mentioned that on Thursday afternoon, Spring Creek (among many other local streams and rivers) rose up out of its banks and flooded out some areas, closing several roads. So on this morning, perhaps against my better judgment, I decided to drive along Spring Creek, stopping at both of the same places I had visited on Thursday morning.

Amazingly enough, the waters had receded, and while I found the creek running a bit higher and muddier than usual, aside from some slippier-than-usual mud along the banks and some detritus here and there, there was little trace of the flooding from the day before. Amazing how quickly the water can go down. In a way, it was reassuring to observe it all firsthand. Otherwise, I might not have believed it.

I had plans in the afternoon to attend an open house for PSU employees to visit the Schreyer House on campus (formerly named Lisnaward), which is the lovely building and grounds where our most recent past university president lived. I had often admired the shady, green, tree-lined lane at the north end of campus that leads to the house. And the property is behind the Arboretum, a place I have visited frequently. Only a wooden fence and some trees stand between the Arboretum and the Schreyer House.

So on Friday afternoon, I checked the weather map: no storms for now, good. And grabbed my camera. And my umbrella. And drove over and parked at the law school building. And the minute I finished parking, I opened the car door. And it began to rain! So I nicely got back in the car and stayed there for 15 minutes to wait out the shower. And then I took my umbrella and camera, and visited the Schreyer House, and got lots of great pictures outside while it was sunny, and went inside when it once again began to rain.

When my visit there was done, I walked back through the Arboretum and past the lily pond in the rain. The lily pond is always a little slice of enchantment for me, and never more so than in the rain. So I present to you this day's photo, taken from under my umbrella: lilies in the rain.

The song: Led Zeppelin, The Rain Song, 1975.