Deluge

Colorado has had a bit of a rain problem the last few days.  We have received the equivalent to 100 inches of snow in the last 24 hours (as of Wednesday).  Our family has not had any problems because of it, although there are some in the state who haven't been as lucky.  In fact, until news reports started coming in today (Friday) we just marveled at how wet it has been.  Now I'm feeling a little bit guilty that so many people are having so many problems while we weren't affected at all and have been having a good time in the puddles.  Driving around Wednesday night, the girls and I found as many puddles as we could to splash through.  Then when we came home and I dared the girls to stand in the rain without an umbrella...gasp!  It took a little convincing but they eventually stood in the rain.  Once they were good and wet, Cambrie grabbed her bouncy ball and started bouncing through the puddles on the sidewalk.  

I wish they had a ball big enough to support me because that looked like a blast.  But instead I stood on the porch with Kelton taking pictures.  

While McKenzie was out on one of her runs I heard her start screaming her terrified "something is really wrong" cry.  I rushed out into the rain with Kelton to find McKenzie perched on top of the ball screaming because of the worms on the sidewalk.  Granted, they were seven inch worms, but up until then I had no idea that McKenzie has a terrible fear of earthworms.  

Across the street we have the neighborhood retention basin.  Normally it is just a grassy depression but because of all the rain it became a full pond.  We have never seen it so full so Jeremy and the kids did what any dad and his daughters would do at 8:00 at night in the middle of a rain storm...put on their swimming suits and go wading.  McKenzie was scared that she would step on a worm and Cambrie was afraid that fish were going to swim past her legs.  With some "gentle encouragement" the girls eventually got wet up to their chins then begged for a warm bath.  Can't say I blame them.  

(I took this picture of the retention basin the next morning to see how full it really was)

Today it is sunny and frankly...it's weird to see the sun again.  It's just so bright!  The soft lighting of the past four days is gone, at least for now.  I will miss that.  But it's about time the state dries off, so I can't say I miss the rain quite yet.  

Here are some pictures from around our neighborhood that were taken after we were sent home from church before they closed the roads.  

There is a walking path under that river that we take on bike rides to the park.

This tunnel is under Zuni.  The girls love riding through the tunnel on the left because it makes great echoes.  I think they would be pretty covered if they tried to go through it now.

This tunnel is under 136th.  I run through that far tunnel to access some great running trails.  It had a really strong current from the drainage basin above it overflowing.