before and after

After all the incantations, prayers, rain dances, and other forms of offerings that were made in the Southwest for rain to replenish the water table, it came this week, in some places with a vengeance.  Although New Mexico did not receive the national press nor suffer the magnitude of damage that Colorado did, many areas nonetheless received impressive amounts of rain.  According to the Albuquerque Journal, Bandelier National Monument received 9.35 inches since Tuesday, and nearby Los Alamos had 7.22.  With a storm total of 3.16 inches, Albuquerque received almost half of its yearly moisture.  There is a huge sinkhole in the Interstate 40 median 20 miles west of Albuquerque,  a Phoenix man died when his vehicle was washed away near Elephant Butte, and the Rail Runner commuter train line was closed on Sunday due to a washed out bridge on Santo Domingo Pueblo land.

On our patch of the mesa, we received 3.42 inches as a storm total, and for the most part, the rain was quite civilized, without lightning or hail.  There were some impressive skies which offered the name of today's blog.

Here is "before" - a cumulus cloud formation, packed with moisture, lifting and building layer upon layer.

And just so that I can remember puddles when dryness returns to the land, here is my "after" shot of  rice grass sitting in a puddle that formed after one solid rain.

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image