Rain Walk with Mica

It's been raining for days in Atlanta. Thunderstorms in the spring here make for some of the most amazing blooms and light in which to photograph them. During a break in the downpour this afternoon, Mica and I went for a Rain Walk in Grant Park. Here is what we saw.








I love this spot near the gazebo where old christmas trees are recycled. Each year you can watch the tall pile of dark greens break down and fade into reds, browns, chartruse.


We had never seen a tree that bloomed what looked like hydrangea blossoms that hung down like giant pom poms.






I had to take a pom pom home.

Haikus for Tropical Storm Fay

It's pouring outside
Better find an umbrella!
(Craving mac n' cheese)

Strong winds toss the car
I am bounced through highway lanes
Concentrating hard.

Rain makes smooth hair curl
When I'm safe inside, chopsticks
hold locks off my neck.

Rain amputation!
Broken limbs sprawled on the roof
Trees are the victims

When it Rains, it Pours

And I'm not just talking about this grey Atlanta day. After what seemed like a Blah Girl drought, she's back smiling all around the city. Here she is below the Fulton Cotton Mill Lofts on Shelton Street in Cabbagetown.

Live from the road during a perfect moment

Even though you may not be able to see it, right now this rainbow is rising over I-75 South and I type this from the passenger seat of my best sisterfriend's car and Zooey Deschanel is crooning You Really Got a Hold on Me. Less than an hour ago, another wonderful sisterfriend brought me beautiful tulips including a lovely purple one.

More Tornado Damage

This building catches my eye each time I go to my office. It's the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, the second tallest building in Atlanta. The view here is from Cone Street.



The black spots all over the building are windows that were knocked out by the tornado last week.

The Tornado in Cabbagetown #2

Thank you so much to all of you, my darling friends and family who have called and emailed to check on me and my Atlanta friends after last night's tornado. I deeply appreciate your concern and loving words. I'm grateful to say that I am fine, my house is fine, and (clearly since I am blogging) my neighborhood even has power.

It's not as good in other areas very close to me though. I can't even imagine what Katrina must have been like. What happened in Atlanta last night is a teeny-tiny fraction of what NOLA dealt with, is still dealing with. Yet the damage here blows my mind.

My wonderful friend and co-worker Charlotta wrote of her experience being downtown last night when the tornado hit:

We were at a play at Theatrical Outfit - right around the corner from the office on Luckie Street. We left the play a few seconds before the storm hit, having just taken a few steps down the street. We had an extremely difficult and dangerous time getting around the corners to our office. As we were trying to unlock the door, tables and chairs from Slice were tumbling down the street. The awning from the Mark, flew off and landed across the street in the "moat" which is around the 11th Circus. [11th Circuit Court of Appeals]

Precious Mica's roof blew off; she is okay, thank goodness. The top floor of the Fulton Cotton Mill lofts is demolished. Everywhere you look in Cabbagetown roofs are missing in in some of their places are tarps. Trees block streets every which way.

I've had a migraine since yesterday morning. Despite the handfuls of ibuprofen I've taken, I can't seem to shake it. There is this strange strange energy in the air and I just can't shake this nervous feeling. My body is so tense.

When it has been sunny today the sunlight has been crazy through the storm clouds. Like in these pictures taken in Grant Park early this afternoon:

And then the strange dark sun would disappear and it would rain again. The the sun would emerge but the next thing we knew there was hail. It's a strange day in Atlanta.

Some lyrics are rollin in my head: "what if all tomorrow brings is ashes and glass..."

The Tornado in Cabbagetown

I'm having a hard time making sense of last night's tornado that plowed through downtown and Cabbagetown. Walking and driving around today showed me how extensive the damage is in our neighborhood. These pictures do not do it justice; I took most of them out of a car window. For far better pictures, check out the AJC's Cabbagetown Gallery.

The first place I wanted to check was Oakland Cemetery.

This is taken from the front gate- the Cemetery is totaly closed due to trees being down and debris everywhere.

A closer shot of the many trees blocking the path into the Cemetery.

On Memorial Drive, there is damage everywhere. Where windows didn't explode from the windows, they were shattered by flying debris.

The repairs are beginning in some places. Corkboard and pywood is replacing what used to be windows that were destroyed by the tornado.

Every little street you peek down in Cabbagetown looks like this- trees barricading the road, people trying to make sense of the damage.

This is the same wall pictured in the banner at the top of my blog. Notice the tree pulled up by its roots and the Blah Girl on the emergency call box.

Cold November Rain

Lovely it is to wake in the arms of my lover. Outside the cold November rain rolls; inside we are warm in matching white tank tops under the weight of the down quilt. I can smell coriander, apricots and lavender on our skin.

SO grateful its raining

After days and days of serious drought in Georgia, I am so grateful to have woken up to the sound of pouring rain. This makes me think of a million rainy songs, but most of all this one, Prayers for Rain by the Cure.