Saturday night reading and monitoring the storm but was getting pretty antsy. Around 11:30 there were dire predictions about flooding and power outages and indeed, the rain belts were really picking up some force, so it was time to get out in it, so I headed out on foot. I tucked myself under the cutaway shelter of the Dorchester building overhang, so there was a tunnel effect of the Rittenhouse canopy a topiary in violent motion of green leaves, driving rain and inky skies.

Sunday biked down to the river which was supposed to crest at 2PM. tooling down the Partway with the Art Museum looking magnificent against the cloud masses that were starting to separate. At the engine and mill Schuylkill River lookout people were gathered to see the river rage through. A spindly women in her 80s with regal gray hair and deep blue eyes inched closer to the water, and twirled in the wind. She could have been Casandra on the promontory, warning us. But, she nodded and smiled. Families were taking photos. The sounds of the waters rushing were drowning out chatter and in fact people were being rather quiet with each other. It was so serene, just humans in the presence of a natural event. Further down the waters were encroaching on boat house row and around the bend the stone sculpture garden causeway was completely flooded out. Two mighty red-tail hawks were circling, surveying their turbulent territory.