It has been raining for 18 days now and I am not the least bit thrilled. Not the normal summer pattern of brief-but-intense showers quickly replaced by a blazing sun but steady all day pitter-patter, streets flooded, and even the towering Skyway Bridge occasionally closed to tall vehicles susceptible to high winds.

[There used to be a newspaper here in the “Sunshine State” that was given away free any day the sun didn’t shine, an anomaly in these parts occurring only about 5-6 times a year. One year Mother Nature didn’t cooperate, however, and St. Pete’s Evening Independent went broke.]

Last Fall at a marina in Humboldt County on the coast of Northern California just as their rainy season kicked in I shelled out over 100 dollars for a shiny brand new oilskin slicker, the kind like brawny commercial fishermen wear to keep dry on trawlers out on the high seas. But I quickly discovered that while it looked neat it was way too cumbersome to climb in and out of, especially from inside a car with bucket front seats. I never wore it, I just headed South ‘till it stopped raining.

Which is not to say that I don’t enjoy SOME rain, splashin’ & playin’ like I was 60 years younger. (Okay, so maybe I carry an umbrella and a towel.) And Tzuri of course loves when it rains “cats and dogs” (bad pun intended). She gallops through puddles yappin’ at her reflection and heroically plunges into the Gulf to rescue sticks.

She’s happiest when she’s wet and muddy.

But enough is enough! Storm skies, yes, can be dramatic…

But rain skies are just wet and boring. And few venture out to have their picture taken by an aspiring street photographer.

🙂 🙂 🙂