The year is unremembered, although it was when Becca was a Senior in High School, I believe. That would make it 1990-1991. On a particularly blustery and wet day, Kate decided to do her daily constitutional walk around the “big block.” This was a four mile circuit of orchards and was very open and picturesque. It had rained earlier but had stopped and the air was clean and crisp and invigorating.
Somehow, I was cajoled into going and Puppy followed us dutifully as we marched off. The first two miles were rather uneventful but we noticed clouds building up to the southwest and they were getting darker and darker. The wind began to pick up and soon spitting rain was pelting the intrepid travelers. This was about the mile three mark.
Suddenly, the heavens were rent with a GIGANTIC peal of thunder and lightning forked across the sky, not all that far away. The very ground reverberated with the concussion! Needless to say we increased our pace dramatically, but to no avail. Totally without warning, as more lightning and thunder forked and crashed, the sky opened up and we were inundated with rain, heavy and hard drops pelting us mercilessly. Laughing at being wet, we foolishly joked that it could not get much wetter. WERE WE WRONG! Immediately following this utterance, the rain changed to hail, BIG HAIL, and it began to almost hurt. I would guess, it was dime sized. We could not see the road being practically blinded by the hail. Poor Puppy was following right at our heels, terrified by the anger of the elements. Kate and I were sogging along, wordlessly, dripping and moaning (me) when salvation came to us.
Emergency response, in the form of Rescuer Rebecca, drove up in her little white Honda and we piled in dripping and squelching. Puppy was so scared she would not jump in the car but had to be lifted in by me. At home, Becca had heard the storm break and had driven all the way around the block following the direction we had taken. She saved the day! Was I ever grateful!
JP 12-30-2011
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