Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Rain on Me!

We have heard that the Navajo Nation have twenty words for "rain." We don't know about that, but there are plenty in the English language: rain, storm, downpours, drizzle, showers. There's fat rain that comes down in big splats; puddles, trickles and floods. There's lightning and thunder that can turn a simple rainstorm into something very spectacular.

Nice Lightning Storm One Night
Author Unknown
Here in Arizona, rain can become so rare that we all stop to watch. And because it rains in a big way when it does finally come, we have to stop what we're doing as we're not going anywhere for a while.
Last summer, we received thirteen inches of rain in August, more than the previous three years COMBINED. Let's just say it got a little too exciting at our place.
Twice.
As we compose these notes a Pacific hurricane named Dolores is planning to visit and all the news is about the potential for rain. (She did wreck havoc elsewhere, but we didn't get much more than a few drops. And Humidity with a capital "H.").
But we digress.
One of our favorite artists creates amazing paintings that depict Arizona scenery and weather in abstract fashion. This is Ed Mell and this is his rendition of rain at the Grand Canyon:

Rain Spears
Ed Mell
For all the tangly people in our midst, there are "Rain" and "Msst," two official and weather-related tangles. CZT Jean Chaney and fellow Arizonan created this "monotangle" for "Rain" last May:

Diva Challenge 168--"Rain"
Jean Chaney/Tangle Street Studios
Provided with Permission, All Rights Reserved
Henri Cartier-Bresson photographed what he called, "the decisive moment." He caught plenty of Parisians jumping over puddles and you just KNOW they're going to get wet!

Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare
Henri Cartier-Bresson
1932
We'll add one more inspirational work from Belarus-born Leonid Afremov:


We're pretty sure he uses ALL the crayons in the box, given the chance. 

Dig out YOUR crayons, pencils, markers or camera and show us your RAIN twinchies! 
Send them to:
1xeritas@gmail.com
by Tuesday, July 28 at 2PM Arizona Time. 
Usual parameters apply (see "The Rules" Any questions? send to same email).



3 comments:

  1. Interesting and well written post. Living in AZ myself, I love rain. It's such a rarity and a treat when we get any. Thank you for showing my tangle, I feel honored to have my work up there with such beautiful photographs. I love that painting by Leonid Afremov and have made it my desktop picture since I also love to use every crayon in the box!

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    1. Dear Jean, thanks so much for allowing us to show your work, glad you like the company. Afremov's work is so gloriously over the top, isn't it? Not thinking we're getting any rain for a long while, so we might as well settle in and enjoy the art!

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  2. I adore that last picture the painting is on my computer as one of my rolling wallpapers. Great pictures all around

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