random thoughts – Day 1,198 – (Wednesday) – water falls

My parking pass for work provides access to covered parking in a city garage a short walk from the office. Just like downtown Lowell, the garage has its share of curiosities. For example, for a covered garage, here sure is a lot of water in it on a regular basis. Even when it's not raining, water drips from the ceiling and puddles on the floor.

Today, at 5:00, as several of us prepared to leave the office, it began to rain, as if on cue. Again. I stayed behind in the office for a few more minutes while my system shut down, hoping it might ease up. When I left a few minutes after the others, it had stopped, but not for long. I was on Merrimack Street, probably one-third of the way to the garage and enjoying the walk, unopened umbrella in hand, cell phone in my pocket, when the sky faucet turned on full blast.

The umbrella was opened. The cell phone was transferred into the work bag. By the time I got to the garage, my pants were soaked from mid-thigh down, my feet were wet inside my shoes, my right sleeve and hand which held the umbrella were dry, but the left sleeve of my raincoat was wet.

Indoor waterfalls.

On the fourth floor of the garage, not far from my car, a large puddle had formed at the bottom of the ramp. In two spots, water flowed freely from the level above like waterfalls. They splashed into the puddle. It was impressive, except for the part that had me questioning the structural integrity of the garage.

The velocity of the rain eased up and the sun came out while it was still raining, but no rainbow could be seen at the intersection where I sat at a red light. At home, across the river from work, it didn’t seem that it had rained as hard as downtown. Inside the house, I slipped off the wet coat with the soaked left sleeve, which led to a wet sweater sleeve, and then a wet blouse sleeve and a wet arm. The wet shoes were untied and slipped off, the wet pants were peeled off. The wet clothes were arranged to dry. Dry sweat pants have never felt so comfy.

It rained with varying intensities throughout the evening and into the night. It thundered. It seemed calm, then it got wild, then calm, and so on. At least the street didn’t flood. Not yet, anyway. Maybe the pacing and alternation of heavy and lighter rain helped with the drainage.