Between the drops

It seems the rainy season has started here, and this weekend was a dark and wet one. Although many people really dislike the rain, I enjoy it. Particularly at night, and as an escape from the heat of summer. The grass almost appears greener in the rain. The air smells fresh, and it feels easier to breath after a storm.


There is a quietness when it's raining too...I guess because people don't generally like to be out in it.





Walking by the river today I found this pretty blue bug. I wonder how long it took him to get up that far, and if he completed his mission before getting blown off, eaten, or worse, smooshed. I bet there's so much going on in his tiny, little, fragile world.


This crane was very dramatically and deliberately sneaking around in the water looking for fish, when I spotted him. His long legs made him look a little like a gangly teenager, but he got his fish.



This family looked perfectly happy to swim in the rain, going back and forth from one side of the river to the other. Actually I remember thinking as a kid, that swimming in the rain made the water feel warmer.





Another nice thing about the rain is that it makes you appreciate a cozy coffee shop and a cup of tea. The lady working here even gave me a towel to dry off with, and an umbrella to use on the walk home.

wig of curls

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place where you could sprain both your elbow and your chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?




And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.




...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to land
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.




Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig of curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.


Luckily, that isn't how the book ends.

Tere takes a walk with Darlene's rhinoceros

I packed up my sketchbook, notebook, camera and a snack, and went hiking today. Actually, it was more of a stroll... with a lot of breaks.
I came across this happy family along the way, smiling cheerily among the trees.





Darlene, I'm not sure if I told you that I brought this guy along with me to remind me of you guys. Here he is, enjoying a view of the forest from a totem pole--in Korea! He says hi.






I must have taken a wrong turn along the way, because I didn't end up at the top of the mountain. Instead I hit a dead end where someone had been growing vegetables. I found a log across from the makeshift garden (and the scarecrow complete with a motorbike helmet), to have my snack.





The ants and beetles fought for space on my log, while white butterflies hovered nearby. I thought to myself, This is probably the closest I will ever be to being in a jungle. I could almost feel things growing around me, feeding off the heat and humidity. So much green, and everything so alive.






And then I walked home...

the city

A second hand clothing store downtown. It seems that unlike at home, it isn't the younger generation who appreciates second hand treasures, it's the older one. These shops are filled with older ladies.





While waiting for Emily to get her bang trim at the hair salon.



At Min's friend's lovely coffee shop. He gave us ice cream and cookies with our coffee,



and let us walk his dog afterwards.