After the storm

Friday dawned clear and bright with a scattering of clouds, and with visibility of better than twenty miles.  From where I stood in the San Mateo hills I could see clear across the Bay towards Mount Diablo beyond the eastern shore.  If the East Bay hills were not there to obstruct the view, I imagine it might have been possible to see all the way over to the Livermore Valley.  

And all this brilliance after Thursday's heavy rains and strong winds that caused minor power outages in the area.  At our house the loss of power was mercifully brief, just enough to keep me away from the computer for a time.

A walk up the hill led past an aromatic carpet of eucalyptus leaves, and bark strewn like giant slivers of cinnamon across the roadway.  The fifty-foot stands of eucalyptus at the top of the hill displayed naked trunks piled with torn bark at the base.  The clear morning air was filled with the mediciny fragrances of the post-storm debris: eucalyptus leaves and pine needles still wet in places.

I greeted the lady who lives a few doors down the street, and who also takes daily walks, rain or shine.  She is in her eighties, and admirably fit, making the uphill climb with small quick steps. Sometimes she carries a hiker's staff, but not today.