Rain

Dana Point, CA
October 13, 2009

You’d think that rain would not be a big deal, but I guess when you are from Seattle and haven’t seen any in over a month, it is missed.

We have been in Dana Point for a couple of days because it is a great anchorage with good access to just about everything we need. The weather was uncertain as best and we really don’t need to be in San Diego til the weekend at the earliest. So, here we have stayed.

Last night's sunset from the guest dock

before the rains came

In the wee hours, I was awakened to a strange sound. From my sleepy state, it took me a minute or two to realize what I was hearing was RAIN. It rained hard for awhile making little piles of dirt at the base of each piece of rigging (this is from the Santa Cruz Island and Catalina Island dust that we have been living in for the last couple of weeks).

Most of the morning was rain-free (in Seattle, we would call it occasional mist, not quite drizzle), until, that is, the boys and I embarked upon a half mile walk to the bus stop. As the torrential rains soaked us, Bryce remarked, “This [the rain] is what I miss!” Luckily, it stayed pretty warm so that our spirits weren’t dampened. The bus driver, who was on his break, took pity on us and let us onto the bus early. We were almost dried out by the time we got to our destination: the movie theater. Along the way, we ate bagels and found a great bead store to add to our collection of special bead for our time keeping project.

Now, as we sit here at anchor, we wonder if the electrical storm off in the distance over the San Pedro Channel (water between us and Catalina Island) will come our direction. It took us awhile to recollect our last encounter with the wet stuff. Besides fog, which can be damp, but does not qualify as rain, the last time it rained was in Sausalito. That time it wasn’t the sound of rain but rather rolling thunder that awoke us. It is funny how something so common in one place is so uncommon in another.

Rainy Day Activities

Dana Point Yacht Club

Austin performs a little maintenance

Retrieving a skyed halyard from the top of the mizzen mast