Spring Begins with Wet Sidewalks and Gray Clouds

After the rain. © Barbara Radisavljevic

On this first day of spring the sun preferred to hide behind the clouds most of the day. When I walked to the corner to get the mail, it was obvious that it had rained. The clouds, however, seemed to be in retreat and the sun did finally pay us a visit before it said goodbye for the night. 

Gray clouds retreating after the rain. © Barbara Radisavljevic

The rain left evidence on these clary sage leaves that it had been there. Tomorrow should be partly sunny until evening.

Raindrops on clary sage leaves © Barbara Radisavljevic

How's your weather today?

First Really Rainy Day This Year

The Weatherman Was Right and it Did Rain Today

It looks as though the roof repairs held, and the garage remains dry. The flowerbeds are wet, as they need to be. And the oak tree across the street is reflected on the sidewalk that leads to my front porch.

Oak Tree Reflection in my Sidewalk on This First Rainy Day This Year

This was no fine mist that barely left a trace. This was a real rain. Listen for yourself.



I like the sound of that, don't you?

The Promise of Rain Was in the Sky Last Night

I took this in the late afternoon.

I took this next one as sundown got closer.

Finally the sun went down, illuminating the clouds that promised rain to come.

Did you enjoy rain today?

See my take on The Blessings of Rain in music. 

See more of my sky photos at ClickASnap. Here's a sample from that album. 

The Weatherman Predicts Rain and So Does this Sky

Rain Tonight?

As I saw the sky getting grayer and darker out the front window in the late afternoon, I thought it looked like rain was coming. As I cleaned up after dinner, I saw the view to the east still had some blue. But even this sky still appeared to predict rain.

Sky Predicts Rain, © B. Radisavljevic

So I checked Yahoo's Weather Page. I discovered I was right. Even Yahoo thinks it will be raining from about seven until nine in the evening. I will know about an hour after I post this if the prediction will hold. Meanwhile, better finish raking any leaves left in your yard, since it will be harder after the rain. Sycamore Leaves and Other Leaves Are Everywhere. 

Man Raking Leaves into Pile, © B. Radisavljevic

Looking Forward to Rain

The Salinas River wants to look like this again. The grass is tired of being brown. The trees are thirsty. And I want a good excuse to curl up with a good book and drink cocoa and eat popcorn.



Funny Prescription Hot Chocolate Mug


Get yourself a special hot chocolate mug for those bad weather days. Here are some of my favorites. And don't forget the popcorn. I prefer non-GMO popcorn. 

& 

Hot Chocolate Is Like A Hug From Inside Coffee MugHot Chocolate MugChocolate Understands! Great mug for warm moments

And if you need a good book, head on over to my book review site, Bookworm Buffet, for some suggestions.

Whatever you do, stay warm and content inside when the weather is cold and wet outside.

What do you like to do on rainy days?

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Photos of a Wet North County

What's Wet in the North County?

North San Luis Obispo County, California, is not known for its frequent rain. Most of the year non-irrigated land is not wet. Sometimes even our lakes and rivers are dry. Currently the sun is shining brightly and no rain is expected soon. But for City Daily Photo Bloggers, this month's theme is "wet" and this is the day to illustrate it. To do that I have have looked back to my rainy season photos.

Atascadero Lake, January 28, 2017

Atascadero Lake

Atascadero Lake is one spot in the North County that usually contains water, but even it was dry in 2014 during the worst of the drought. I'm happy to see it full again. See Atascadero Lake at its best and worst here. The birds are happy to see it full again after the winter rains. We all hope it stays that way. 

Waterfowl at Atascadero Lake, 1-28-17, © B. Radisavljevic

The Salinas River

The Salinas River is sometimes wet, but most of the year it is dry. For more wet season photos, see The Salinas River in Paso Robles: Now You See It. The photo below was taken in February at sundown. The recent rains had been good to the river.  I'm hoping it will stay visible and wet until at least the end of April, but that will depend on getting some April showers. 

Salinas River at Sundown, 2-26-17,  © B. Radisavljevic

Since I love seeing the river full and flowing, I've made a lot of my photos of the river into products at Zazzle. Here are some of them.

 Salinas River Flowing through Paso Robles, CA Canvas Print Bench Looking Toward Salinas River: Miss You Card Poster of Salinas River in Paso Robles Salinas River, Paso Robles, January Postcard Salinas River from Vineyard Bridge, Templeton, CA Jigsaw Puzzle

The Cow Parade at Halter Ranch

In February I went on a search for cows in the Cow Parade, an international event. Businesses sponsored artists who made life-size cow sculptures, and the cows were scattered over many locations in our county. I wanted to find all I could in the North County. I found this one on a rainy day at Halter Ranch Winery. It's titled Cowvee Alice. It was created by Jack Foster and sponsored by Halter Ranch. Many of the cows from the cow parade have been made into collectible figurines you can find at Amazon

Cowvee at Halter Ranch, 2-19-17, © B. Radisavljevic

 It was not easy to get this photograph. When I arrived in front of the tasting room, the cow was surrounded by people with umbrellas. They weren't moving. I discovered they were all part of a tour of the winery and were gathered in front of the tasting room (and the cow) to listen to the tour leader speak. I decided to join in and learn something. When the tour moved on to the winery, I snapped my photos and then followed the tour. Find out more about this tour here. I recommend it.) If you look closely at the photo, you will see that the sidewalk around the cow sculpture is wet. So was the cow, but it's hard to see that. The vineyards and grounds were also wet. 

Puddles Near the Park

On January 9,  I walked to Larry Moore Park to check on the river after the rain. I took a short cut from the J.C. Penny parking lot across a vacant lot to a back park entrance. On the way I passed many puddles. This is one I liked because of its reflection of the trees near it. It was quite a large puddle and the ground around it was so wet I sloshed as I walked.

Puddle Near Back Entrance to Larry Moore Park in Paso Robles, © B. Radisavljevic

The Sunken Gardens In Atascadero

I took this photo of the fountain at the Sunken Gardens Park on a very windy day after the rain. It was wet in many places around the fountain because of the wind's splashing. Of course, the fountain is wet, too. 

Overflowing Fountain  after Rain in the Sunken Gardens, Atascadero, © B. Radisavljevic

My Own Backyard

Until last winter, I had never seen my yard this wet. Usually the rain is quickly absorbed by the thirsty ground. After several rainy days, the ground was not so thirsty anymore. Thus the puddles appeared. The white streaks are the falling raindrops.

Which photo illustrating this month's Wet theme do you like best? 



**

Sky Journal of Day with Sporadic Showers

Morning Sky

The weather forecast gave the impression I'd stay dry if I finished my shopping by mid-afternoon. I got in my car, and although the sky was cloudy, it wasn't raining. That was at 10:55 AM.

Sky View 2-18-17, Paso Robles, 10:55 AM, ©  B. Radisavljevic 

I drove to Atascadero, parked on Traffic Way and took a few photos. This is one that shows how green the hills are now. As you can see, the sky was blue looking northeast. 

Sky View from Traffic Way in Atascadero about 11:30 AM, ©  B. Radisavljevic

I walked around and took more pictures in the almost deserted Sunken Gardens.  It was windy, and you can see how the wind and earlier rain had combined to make the fountain spill over onto the surrounding area. 

Fountain at Sunken Gardens in  Atascadero about 11-45 AM, ©  B. Radisavljevic

After leaving the park I made my way to Smart and Final to shop. I was there by noon. By 1 PM I was back in my car, and there was still no rain. I headed to Trader Joe's in Templeton. I had planned to stop at Von's but it had started to rain hard by the time I drove the short distance there and the parking lot was full. I only needed one thing there and opted to skip it and go straight to Trader Joe's. It rained on and off all the way to Templeton. Fortunately when I got to Trader Joe's the rain had stopped and the sky was blue again. I left my hat in the car. 

Afternoon

That turned out to be a mistake. As I left Trader Joe's I could see the rain coming down as I reached the exit. My hat was in the car, so I tried to keep my glasses dry. As luck would have it, the rain became just a drizzle as I walked to my car. When I got home the rain had pretty much died down. I was able to unload the car without getting wet. At 4:30 I went to my front yard to take a picture, and this is how the sky looked then. 

Sky View 2-18-17, Paso Robles, 4:30  PM, ©  B. Radisavljevic 

As the Sun Went Down

These photos were taken at 5:25 PM

Sky View 2-18-17, Paso Robles, 5:25  PM, ©  B. Radisavljevic 

Sunset

These photos were taken from different angles at sunset. I show them in order. 

Sky View 2-18-17, Paso Robles, 5:48  PM, ©  B. Radisavljevic 

Sky View 2-18-17, Paso Robles, 5:48  PM, ©  B. Radisavljevic 

Sky View 2-18-17, Paso Robles, 5:48  PM, ©  B. Radisavljevic 

It was eerie to drive in and out of showers as I passed under storm clouds on my way home.  I'm grateful we've gotten more rain, but not enough to do much damage. Our friends in Northern and Southern California have had much more damage. 

I"m seriously thinking of getting one of these rain barrels to collect and save some of this water for the summer. 

Good Ideas RW50-KHA Rain Wizard Rain Barrel 50-Gallon, KhakiGood Ideas RWURN-LIG Rain Wizard Rain Barrel Urn 65-Gallon, Light Granite

How has your weather been this week? How has it affected you personally or those you know?

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Moss in My Backyard and 2-5-17 Photo Sky Journal

Moss Beside My Back Lawn

Never before this week have I seen moss growing in my yard -- not even on the north-facing part of my property. Let's face it. Moss doesn't grow during a drought. It is, however, growing in my yard now on the east side where the rose garden meets the lawn. It is definitely getting enough moisture to survive for the time being. 

Moss in My Backyard

Photo Sky Journal for February 5

The day began and ended with a gray sky. Occasionally during the afternoon, I saw some blue. When the sky was gray, I seemed to be walking in a cloud, with droplets clinging to me as I moved. 

2-5-17 Photo Sky Journal 11 AM

By 1:15 there were small breaks in the clouds where a bit of blue was visible. 

2-5-17 Photo Sky Journal 1:15 PM

By 3:40, the sky looked almost normal for this time of day. The sun was bright. 

2-5-17 Photo Sky Journal 3:40 Pm

By the time the sun was almost down at 5:15, I was wondering why the rain hadn't started yet. I didn't hear it start to come down until after 7. 

2-5-17 Photo Sky Journal 5:15 PM

I miss having a colorful sunset. 

This Photo Sky Journal began on February 2, 2017, to record the changes in the sky during the day from the same location each day. 

***

Rain, Rain, and More Rain in Paso Robles

No More Drought Right Here, Right Now

It seems it's been raining for days now. When it's not raining, it's getting ready to rain. The cloud formations are beautiful. Below, the sun is just peeking through a cloud. 

Below is a path to the river through Larry Moore Park between storms. 

I shot this from my back porch during the rain today. This used to be my dead lawn when I stopped watering it during the drought. I've never seen such puddles there before this year. 

I taped this video at the same time I took the photo above. I turned the sound way down because a very noisy vehicle went by while I was shooting this. 

After I shot the video, we ate lunch. Then the sun came back out again for a few minutes before the sky went gray again. It has been raining off and off since then. More rain is expected during the next two days. 

Preserve the Memory of a Full Atascadero Lake and Salinas River

 Poster of Salinas River in Paso Robles iPad Case: Inspirational with Salinas River iPad Mini Cover Poster of Salinas River in Paso Robles Salinas River, Paso Robles, January Jigsaw Puzzle Atascadero Lake Park Pavilion Coffee Mug Atascadero Lake Park Pavilion Jigsaw Puzzle

Local Lake Levels and the River are Rising Again

I haven't been out to take my own photos of the local lakes yet, but this video shows how the level of Atascadero Lake has come up since I took pictures during the drought. You can see those photos in the related posts below for comparison. I was happy to see the island surrounded by water again. 

I have been out to see the Salinas River flowing and I took lots of photos. Here are a few. 

Salinas River Overflowing Banks, January 9, 2017

Finally a River View from this  Bench Again

Looking North Toward Veterans Memorial Bridge

Although I miss the sun, we will see it soon again. Meanwhile,  I'm thankful for the rain that is filling our lakes and the river again and watering our oaks, street trees, and landscaping. We won't need to water again for weeks. 

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Related articles

• Atascadero Lake Has Some Water Again
• The State of Atascadero Lake Breaks My Heart
• It's Sad to See Atascadero Lake So Shallow - A California Life