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| Exploring a very wet Rhode Island town |
The wettest layover I ever had was in Providence, RI. That is, it used to be. As is the case for Pasadena, CA, I’d never been to Providence and I wasn’t going to let a little rain spoil the chance for me to get out and see it.
The good traveler that I am, I have my handy compact umbrella in my bag. It’s a magical umbrella…if it looks like rain and I take it, the dark clouds will mock me and hold their juice. If it looks like rain and I leave it in my hotel room, the skies open overhead. The only time it isn’t magic, is when it already raining; the perfect test of whether or not I’ll actually venture out.
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| A rainy day in Hong Kong |
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| Wet tracks in Frankfurt, Germany |
When I was in Brussels for the first time, I spent my first morning exploring in a light drizzle. I was recently caught without my umbrella in a wondrous thunderstorm while exploring Ft. Lauderdale, taking refuge under the carport of an apartment complex. Chicago, London, Denver, Narita, Frankfurt; rain, quite damp, gully washer, ame, regen mit donner!
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| A storm hits Ft. Lauderdale |
In the case of Providence, it was sprinkling out, so the umbrella came with me, of course. This was near the start of my artistic photography experiments, so I enjoyed exploring new places, taking photos that interested me. I like textures and angles, and found some great things to shoot.
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| Textures on a wet street in Rhode Island |
It was when I got about as far away as I had hoped to venture and started heading back towards my hotel that the skies truly opened up. Never mind, I was not going to let it spoil my adventure. I wandered through a neighborhood under a small umbrella with camera in hand. When I got back to my room, my pants were soaked up to the knees. My shoes were as submarines just surfacing from a long sea voyage. My socks were literally to be wrung out and laid to dry.
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| US flags in the rain |
And here is a tip for helping speed the drying process on clothes…bring out the ironing board and run the iron over them. The shoes you just have to pack in the plastic bag that normally hangs in the closet. Or, if there is an air conditioner under the drapes (and if they don’t stink) you can use the hangers with the clips to hang the pants on the drapes and have the air blow on them for a while.
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| Using a hangar to dry out pants. |
And then there was my time in historic Pasadena, California, home to the famous Rose Parade on New Year’s Day. How many times I’ve seen the wondrous floats clad with beauties waving from among legumes, flowers and seeds adorning elaborate parade floats. There I was, just a few days into the new year, with the bleachers and stands still in place waiting to be disassembled, admiring the architecture and quaint shops. In the rain I ventured out, with umbrella in hand. I’d never been to Pasadena, and who knows if or when I’ll find myself back again. After all, I’ve yet to return to Providence.
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| Wet street in Pasadena |
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| In Rhode Island |
I don’t care what day it is or how wet it may be. I got this job to see the world and that’s why I travel with my umbrella. I want to get out and explore. Doesn’t matter if it’s a rainy day or a Monday, I won’t let it get it me down. Out and about I must go!
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