It seems like, this year, that the weather is a month ahead of itself. It has done nothing but pour rain this entire month, with only a handful of sunny days scattered between the downpours. This is the sort of weather we usually have in August, and at this rate I’m expecting snow for my birthday. This sort of weather doesn’t bother me – I love rainy days, and the stronger the storm the better.
One day this last week on our way back from Eagle River we stopped in Palmer for dinner. It seems it’s always raining when we go to the Valley Hotel, and this night it was absolutely pouring. The sky was black and the road gleamed. Times like that put me in mind of something that happened when I was about five. It was during a trip to Minnesota – I, my mom, and my grandma, were on a day trip to a Waldorf school in Wisconsin. There were flood and tornado warnings that day, but a little weather stopped my family from having fun.
It was overcast and deep grey, as we passed over the bridge we were very impressed by how high the water was – only three or four feet below the bridge. On the other side we stopped at a little shop, where we bought a painted clay eskimo Christmas ornament. After we left the shop we hurried quickly into the car. I don’t recall what prompted our flight – a radio announcement? good old fashion instinct? But we turned around and headed back the way we came as quickly as possible. I remember black clouds, and looking out the back window to see a twisting spiral descend. When we passed over that bridge again the river had risen, and the water was surging over the road. The bridge seemed twice as long as we went over it at an agonizingly slow pace, and the rain came down so hard we could barely see anything. We were one of the last cars that made it across the bridge that night.
At no point do I remember being afraid. Weather does not scare me – instead I was fascinated. During the entire flight from the storm I pressed myself to the windows, filled with awe at what I was seeing. My paternal grandmother was a meteorologist, so I suppose it’s in my blood. Anyone for a drive in the rain?