By Tim Hauserman
Photo by Tim Hauserman
Spring at Lake Tahoe. It’s a relative term. We can get gully washer thunderstorms one week, snow the next, and warm sunny days everywhere in between.
Tahoe folks don’t often talk about the joy of the sound of rain. To tell you the truth, we are not really rain people. We feel as if any moisture that reaches the ground between November and April (…and often into May and June!) should come in the form of snow. We savor deep white powder that gives us the chance to slide into our happy place. Or we revel in the dark blue sky and bright sunshine. But rain, like the kind we have been getting this season, what good is that?
Well, obviously, the biggest good we get from rain is that it is much needed moisture. A few baby steps towards filling up our lakes and streams, and helping to quench the thirst of the parched earth. But aside from all the long term benefits of all that lovely water, it’s also just a beautiful thing to get outside and take a walk on a rainy day or sit inside and enjoy the sounds of it pouring down.
The key to walking in the rain is to have the right clothing. If you cover yourself in rainproof gear and don a big floppy hat, you will be toasty and able to appreciate the sights and sounds of being in rain: The splosh and splat of your feet in the puddles. The patter patter of drops on your hat. The tiny circles created when the drops hit the ground. The gentle rabble of water rushing. The splashing of car tires.
To enhance the experience. Bring along a few youngsters in their galoshes. They splat in the puddles, spin around in circles and laugh at the simple joy of falling water. Go ahead, you can do it too. It’s good to be a kid.
Once you’ve had your fill, return to your mountain home. Doff those wet clothes. Start a fire in the stove, nurse a cup of hot chocolate, and sit back and listen to the show. Does it sound like the drops are tickling the roof? When a gust of wind hits, can you hear steel brushes gently hitting a cymbal? Does the ebb and flow of the rain sound like a symphony?
Sure, snow would be better, but there is much to be said about rain. And the trees are saying, Thank you. Bring it on.
And for 100 fun things to do here at Lake Tahoe and Truckee in the spring, be sure to read their online version here on page 8: thetahoeweekly
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