Autumn Courtyard in the Rain

On this morning, my work unit had a staff meeting at the Penn Stater conference center. One of the cool things about working in Outreach is being in the same overarching work unit as the Shaver's Creek environmental center. And what that meant on this particular day was this: the Shaver's Creek staff brought a rescued barn owl along as part of the staff meeting! How cool is that?

It was pouring down rain on this day. I mean, the raining-cats-and-dogs type of rain. Buckets and buckets of water, a deluge from the sky. Standing water on the roads, every pond full to overflowing. I had no specific plans to get outdoors on this day because of the weather, but I brought my camera along anyway, hoping I'd find something to photograph in or around the conference center.

A neat thing about the foliage change is that in the rain, the colors shine with the wetness, and the overall effect is to increase the color saturation. This knowledge is like catnip to a girl like me; as if I needed any more excuses to get out no matter the weather. So I had my umbrella, and I was prepared to use it as my shelter to get a few foliage snaps, but in the end, I didn't need it, as the porches and overhangs of the Penn Stater conference center provided adequate protection from the elements while I did the camera thing.

This is a view out the front entrance of the conference center into a lovely courtyard with fountains and a tiny pond outside. A few weeks ago, the trees along the water (just on the other side of this courtyard) hit peak color: they were bright golden yellow, and I smiled a great big happy smile as I photographed their reflections on its surface. The yellow trees are done now, but a whole new round of color has appeared.

It's been like that this year: not just one single week of peak color all around, but waves of color here and there that appear and disappear and reappear. Always a little something somewhere that's a treat for the eyes and heart and mind. And so this is today's October gift: the courtyard is ablaze in orange, and enough leaves have fallen that they provide a flaming carpet beneath the trees.

I'm a bit surprised that you can't actually see the rain falling in this shot, as it was raining buckets even at the very moment that I took the picture. But that's OK. You can see the rain's effects: the leaves awash with color, and the trunks shining starkly and blackly in contrast.

Taking pictures in the rain can have its risks, but it has its rewards too. I usually have an umbrella instead of a porch or overhang. Actually having a roof over my head as I took some rain shots felt very, VERY civilized. A few steps up from just an umbrella, to be sure.

Although of course I have nothing against umbrellas - I love the feeling of being in my own little world beneath mine when I'm out and about on the drizzly days. Things look different from under there: for myself, I like the way the surfaces of things look slick and shiny when they are wet, and sometimes you can capture reflections on wet pavement. If you exercise caution with the camera, a rainy day can be a good day for pictures. In some ways, it may be even better.

The soundtrack: England Dan and John Ford Coley, Soldier in the Rain.