Thick as Pea Soup

These are truly the dog days of summer. It's hot, humid and eerily still -- not a single blade of grass is quivering. The air suffocates you like a big, wet, wool blanket. The forecast for today is severe thunderstorms with torrential downpours and frequent lightning and there is another flash flood warning in effect. Hurricane Bill threatens off the coast. Basically, it's a day to stay indoors. So before drama begins falling from the sky, the two of us went for a walk on Chamounix Drive down the Main Line in Wayne.

I was born and raised in the Evergreen State (the other Washington) and thought where I came from was the pinnacle of greenness. Come to find out not necessarily so. In the fine Emerald City, the green comes primarily from the gorgeous fragrant conifers that blanket the mountains and, now dwindling, the foothills surrounding the city. Here, the foliage is primarily deciduous which gives an incredibly lush almost overwhelmingly green feeling. In the summer after a real downpour, it's as if the palette of greens intensifies. The profuse green and wet heat often reminds me of our stay in the Panamanian Rainforest.

We love to get lost in the various neighborhoods on the Main Line. It is absolutely unbelievable how many incredibly fancy homes there are here. Literally thousands of homes, each more beautiful than the next. I'm sure I'll be posting many more photos in the future as I continue to be amazed at these photogenic, classy and well kept homes.

Fortunately, we were able to enjoy our walk and get back to the
car just before the rain intensified. We stopped by Whole Foods to pick up supplies for Swedish Pea Soup and plan to wait out the storm safely inside our cozy little corner of the world.