Point of View

Dance of the Rain Drop Circles

A day of rain was a soothing relief from the days of record breaking heat. The puffy cumulous clouds surrounded the city as they made their way over the golden mountain range and in past Camelback Mountain. Towering high into the air they darkened as they prepared to release their payload of moisture on the hot ground below. From my southern vantage point I could see the huge cumulus clouds overpowering the lighter, friendlier cirrus clouds. Swallowing them whole it was only a matter of time before the large rain drops arrived.  The sweet smell of rain preceded the coming storm as the birds took flight for nearby shelter, the limbs of olive trees and tall palm trees begun to sway in the increasing wind, as if bowing in submissive obedience to Mother Nature. The distant echo of thunder rolled over the mountain tops announcing the storms arrival and the first drops of moisture begun to fall to earth. An invisible wall of steam could be felt rising from the baking pavement like a fire being extinguished; the earth seemed to let out a satisfying sigh of relief and eagerly took back what it had given up over the long hot summer.
The heavy drops danced off the ground creating little rivers that flowed into each other. Shallow puddles began to form and a ballet of little circles erupted from the rain drop impacts. A pedestrian running for cover momentarily interrupted the dance of the rain drop circles as he sloshed his way through the storm. The sun soon took back the sky as the clouds parted; exposing patches of blue atmosphere in contrast to the gray storm clouds. A colorful rainbow appeared as the residual raindrops passed in front of the suns rays, bringing to end the dance of the rain drop circles.