Motion

It started raining sometime before we got up this morning but it didn't seem to be the drenching downpour that we have been experiencing. It was very dark, however and we both overslept a bit. Foregoing coffee and rushing through our morning routine, we did allow ourselves a little extra time to get to Kathy's. It was an uneventful drive but I noted the flooded vineyards on River Road, planning to take a picture on the way home. 

Kathy taped up John's knee, which had been bothering him for awhile, but got worse after yesterday's hill hike. (Shades of the fast paced, hilly walks in San Diego with my brother and Meg which pushed my cranky knee into knee replacement mode.) In our rush to leave the house I forgot Kathy's little gift and the modest plate of cookies I made for Mike and her. I was reminded of this fact when we arrived at her house and were greeted with a beautifully wrapped gift and a big plate of cookies!

Feeling restored, we set off for home passing a Sonoma County truck on the road just outside Kathy's driveway. Sure enough we were greeted by the above scene and had to go back and around the other way to avoid the sections of road that flooded during the time we were with Kathy. I'm sure the truck we saw was the same one that had set of the road closure. So many people think they can drive through these floods and get stuck that the county has begun to be a little more assertive about closing the roads.

These narrow country roads which skirt around a lot of vineyards were repaved last summer but nothing was done that might have prevented the road from flooding every time there is a significant amount of rain.

I don't know if my quick shot captured it, but the rain was running down the windshield and the water was gushing apace around the corner on the right, leaving little space to turn around and go back. The defroster works very well and very quickly, but it also turns up the heat so high that it is impossible to leave it on for more than 30 seconds at a time. I'm sure this is not how it was intended to work, but I spent the drive back manually operating the defroster. I imagine it is designed to melt ice on the windshield in which case that amount of heat might be needed. I suppose after ten years of owning this car I ought to get out the owner's manual and figure out how to operate the defroster....

It has been dark, rainy and steadily drizzling all day. Excitement over by the time we got home, I did very little but make another batch of cookies....