Beautiful morning by the river, but of course all talk is of the coming hurricane. Then clouds rolled in; all morning, darker and darker. Now, just this second, starts thick heavy rain. This, of course, is not the hurricane, which isn't due until Sunday. (When I'll be at the Rancho. Stay tuned.) It's a totally unrelated summer storm. Not even an appetizer, which you usually select based on your main course. This is more like an amuse-bouche the chef sends to your table, regardless of what you're planning next.

Falling straight down now, out of a lighter sky. Just beautiful. Birds all discussing it outside my window.

PS -- Keith Miller, who writes a birding column for a local paper, tells me my heron yesterday was an immature great blue, and Keith concurs that the guy was probably this year's baby checking out next year's territory.