Zack's Falls

The Whiting Homestead has had a severe lack of rain for way too long. Rain and snow over the last year has been better but is still not sufficient to help restore a balance in the dry organic matter of the trees. About 8 years ago, when our grandson, Zack was 6 years old, we happened to be there at the Homestead during an unusually heavy rainstorm. It was so refreshing to be there and under a roof to keep us dry.

When it was over, we ventured out into the light rain sprinkle and went out to see the leftover puddles and run-off. We were rewarded on our walk to see streams created by the deluge and the uneven ground and especially the cascade of water down a small gorge along the road. It was exciting to witness and photograph such a passage of water and a rare Homestead event. This painting was a composite of photos I took with Zack testing the water. The top of the painting is where the entrance road goes into the Homestead camp.

It was summer but the rain had cooled things off; the water was very cold, so full submersion was not comfortable. The double meaning of the title refers to naming the waterway after the only one of us brave enough to get wet and to Zack's comic protests that he had no control over getting completely soaked. It was only a day trip there; we hadn't brought any spare clothes for slippery water fun or for getting warmed up after a bone chilling adventure. We had to improvise from the odd assortment of cast-off apparel in the cabin.

The nice thing about painting is that I could carve Zack's legacy into a tree without messing with nature.

I am sure the rain falls with a vengeance on many occasions; I have hoped we could be there again for the waterfall spectacle but haven't been so fortunate as yet. Maybe one of these days....