The heavy rains that began early yesterday morning were unexpected but we soon became accustomed once again to a dark house interior. Any time the dim light lifted slightly there was a bit of a break in the rain but it didn't last. It wasn't until midafternoon had come and gone that the break that ensued was long enough to give us hope that the rain had lifted entirely for the day.

And that's when we set out. On what was left of a cool, but hugely humid, windy day. It felt hot because of the extreme humidity even though the temperature failed to rise above 20 degrees. Because of the concern that the skies would open once again to more torrential downpours we put on light rainjackets and hauled along the same for Jackie and Jillie, and set off for a ravine walk.

Everything in the woods was so drenched it seemed as though it was raining, the slick, waterlogged environment dripping incessantly. We couldn't, in fact, be certain that it wasn't really raining, it was so constant, and so we put the puppies' raincoats on, but they didn't seem to mind, and we forged on with our day's hike.

In fact, the woods were so soaked that there wasn't, in the end, much difference between the rain sliding off the overhead foliage, and the sky opening up again, raining moderately. The sky didn't open up, as it happened, though it felt as though that was the case; instead we kept being enveloped in second-hand rain as it were.

We had the ravine, and the trails all to ourselves. No one else, none of the regular  hikers appear to have turned out on this surprise-weather day. So it was a tranquil hour or so, tramping along on the soaked surface, seeing that strange light that prevails after a heavy rain and overcast skies, that always serves to illuminate the forest-green in a luminescence not seen on other occasions.

Which didn't keep us from enjoying our usual forest-trail hike; neither us nor our little companions. True, we came back a little damp, but not drenched, and nicely exercised for our trouble. A few hours later the rain still hadn't resumed, but the high humidity levels had lifted and we began to feel the true effect of the cooler temperature as the wind continued to blow-dry the environment.