Rain in L.A.
L.A. has been rainier than usual this winter, and I am ecstatic. The sound of rain, however gentle or thick, always brings a heart-fluttering serenity to my mind.
The area around the Jubilee House is beautiful. I’m thankful to be able to walk outside to a lovely garden, broad trees (and a PLAYGROUND :D). All are wonderful to watch in the rain. Anyway…
One of my lovely roommates and I went on a hike at Topanga State Park this past Saturday, and my, I was awestruck. Mountains & hills were covered in multiple shades of greenery in every direction. The ocean wasn’t far off behind the elevations. It had a mirage-like haze as the clouds above and around blurred into the whitish, blueish, even slightly pinkish (but mostly whitish) sky. Catalina Island sat dozing in the distance. Sailboats flocked in the foreground of my ocean view. From the far point where we were standing, we couldn’t make out much of the boats besides their deep grey sails. It looked almost like a bunch of large shark fins slowly swirling about, moving at half-speed. If even that fast.
We hiked up to Eagle Rock, which was significantly more rock than the path we walked to reach it. I’m no geologist, but it was certainly more of a desert-type of rock— orange & tan rather than a grey. Its coloring made the rock pop out when it surfaced between the green shades pillowing the mountainous landscape.
What also struck me was the vast change in sound. I heard rustling of leaves rather than litter. Rolling water within skinny streams replaced buzzing tires in traffic. Birds calling to one another in sporadic song took over the terse shrieks of car horns.
The heavy rain has brought a similar auditory audible. The weighted water droplets are a weighted blanket for my ears. My environment is an instrument that the precipitation plays, filling my ears with the music of everything’s positioning. And the city is responding as well…
Fewer people are driving. Sidewalks are being rinsed. & Maybe the rain has made the helicopters stay in for the night.
I love rain in L.A.