I know. I’m sort of cheating here. Saturday Sounds articles are supposed to be about music. Still, there’s something about the sound of rain, isn’t there? The sound of rain hitting the roof (preferably tin, though that’s a sound from another era at this point) lulling us to sleep, reminding us how good it is to be dry and warm. Then there are ancillary sounds associated with rain; the swish of the windshield wipers, the tires throwing rain onto the bottom of the car.
We don’t generally go out in the rain to enjoy it. We go out into the rain because we have to. It’s the wet run to the car, the messy drive to work. It’s messy driving and slower traffic, wet clothes and wet hair. It’s hard to consider the rain something to embrace or love.
But there are reasons to do just that, of course. We need rain to survive, to wash away the filth which accumulates around us, to help us enjoy the simple joy of sunshine. As children many of us loved the rain. We loved running in it, trying to catch raindrops in our mouth and splashing in the biggest puddles we could find. Rain only disappointed us if we couldn’t get out in it to play. Quite the opposite of our older selves.
I’d love to say that I take long walks in the rain for some higher philosophical reason, but truthfully, I’d just as well stay home and stay dry. So why the waxing on a bit over the rain? Well, I couldn’t avoid it this past week and get my job done, so Tuesday night found me out taking the photographs you saw earlier in the week of the holiday window decorations.
I kept noticing how beautiful the city looked in the rain: The sheets of rain falling through the light cast by the street lights, the droplets on windows, the small splash of the drops as they hit the puddles, but most of all it was the lights of the city bouncing off wet surfaces in every direction. I had to remind myself several times to get back to the business at hand.
I did take some of the obvious, iconic shots, like the Sunsphere, but I didn’t take others, like the Tennessee Theatre marquee. There’s enough beauty in every direction downtown that those iconic shots are necessary. The Christmas lights, of course, add color to the light reflections and I can’t say how much I like our new Christmas tree in Krutch Park. I must have taken twenty pictures of just the tree and the reflections of the different colored lights. And who knew the pedestrian bridge over Henley lights up? Maybe everyone, but me.
When I posted the photograph you see at the top of the article to Facebook, the reaction was so strong I decided I had to post more of the set here. So, I hope you enjoy the photographs of the rain and get out today and enjoy the sunshine, as well.
One final bit of business which is very much musically related: Congratulations to Beto Cumming who, along with a guest will enjoy the Mark O’Connor show Monday night at the Bijou. I’ll leave you with a wonderful song by the Cascades. “Rhythm of the Rain” was released in 1962 and BMI named it the ninth most performed song of the century. Pretty impression, but just a good song. Enjoy.