Desert Rain

here i sit

my pink striped knee-high slippers

propped up on the dashboard

while my half-drunk cup of hot peach tea

waits for me to take the next sip

it's got to be one of the more magnificent

views on the planet

the colors actually intensified

by the incessant rain

we wait for the downpour

to take at least a brief pause

but none is forthcoming...

for four hours now

we've made this soggy parking lot

our home away from home -

through breakfast and lunch,

reading, radio, conversations and games,

and the rain persists

like a bad habit that just won't go away.

cars pull up,

their inhabitants pointing enthusiastically

at the incredible rock formations

most never venture out of the cozy comforts

of their automotive cocoons

a few step out with their umbrellas

and their point-and-shoots

hoping at least to document that they were here

off they go and the rain persists....

and they say it never rains in the desert!

White Domes Parking Lot

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada,  February 7, 2010

i knew as i wrote this that this was something that was worth waiting for, so i wasn't worried!  this was a rare heavy storm that ended up causing some of the roads to be closed, but not before i had a couple of amazingly fun photo-shoots!  the best part of all was the next day as the sun started poking through the dark skies - that's for next time!!