For us desert-dwellers, when it rains, we celebrate. We marvel at this odd wet stuff falling from the sky, watch it for hours from safe perches on our patios - and then we drive as if every puddle were 10 inches deep and we could skid off the road at any second. Not used to driving in rain, are the Tucson dwellers.
The best part about a rain storm passing through town is the way the air smells afterwards. There’s a crisp, unique scent: the smell of the creosote bushes comes through clearly, mixed with something very clean, like smelling the lack of dust, if that makes any sense.
One of my earliest memories is watching the rain at my Grandparent’s house, out on their patio with my family and a bowl of hot popcorn made on the stovetop in a big kettle. To this day, the smell of rain makes me crave popcorn made the old-fashioned way.
I was out walking the grounds of a new condo listing today during a break in the rain, and as I passed by this tree (I think it is a white thorn acacia tree), it had this beautiful sweet smell. This is one of my favorite landscape trees, with the pretty yellow puffs.
This one must still be a young tree, but as it matures, it will make a lovely canopy, full of those yellow blooms.
November 30th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
Have ya seen what one of those trees can do to a swimming pool?
December 1st, 2007 at 11:49 am
What pretty pictures I found in my feed.
Thanks for finding a classy way to promote a listing.
December 1st, 2007 at 11:57 am
Hi Chris - I hadn’t thought about it being listing promotion! The listing link was an afterthought. I had just made the listing page for that condo when I decided to write about the rain and that sweet smelling tree.
Jay - yeah, it’s messy, but pretty. Not for planting beside pools - like many trees.