Wet days have served their purpose, but now it’s the sun’s
turn
The other morning as I stirred from a night’s sleep my eyes took
a minute to understand what they were seeing.
The bedroom blinds were illuminated in a way that I almost
forgot was possible. It was as if a huge ball of gas in outer space
was shining toward Earth unimpaired by the grayness that had
floated above San Benito County for what seemed like a month.
It was a sunny day!
Wet days have served their purpose, but now it’s the sun’s turn
The other morning as I stirred from a night’s sleep my eyes took a minute to understand what they were seeing.
The bedroom blinds were illuminated in a way that I almost forgot was possible. It was as if a huge ball of gas in outer space was shining toward Earth unimpaired by the grayness that had floated above San Benito County for what seemed like a month.
It was a sunny day!
The rain is great, as it is the source of life-sustaining water in a state that sorely needs it. The Sierra snow pack is deep, the reservoirs are full and the rivers are running. It’s particularly good news for local agriculture, which will get an increased allocation from the Central Valley Project this year.
For a while there, it felt like we were living in the Pacific Northwest.
The rain has played havoc with baseball in town, delaying Little League opening ceremonies – they were rescheduled for tonight – and forcing coaches to get creative to keep their teams in playing shape.
San Benito High School’s baseball teams, as seems perfectly appropriate for a school with a Haybaler as a mascot, practiced in recent weeks in a barn generously made available by a parent. While it’s a real barn with pallets and bins and various implements, it doesn’t have a dirt floor and the players didn’t have to dodge farm animals while taking grounders.
In fact, the full-fledged batting cage and portable pitching mounds in the barn made for a perfect practice spot as the rain poured outside. The Baler softball team rented space at Daniel Barone’s indoor baseball facility on wet days just to stay sharp.
Little League volunteers tried valiantly last weekend to get games played, digging trenches to divert water and even using a Shop-Vac on the infield in an effort to make it playable.
Then this week arrived, spring finally sprung and local baseball and softball fields were again buzzing with activity – playing catch-up, but playing at last.
After so many years of drought, it was easy to forget that the San Benito River is actually a river and not just a place for shooting paintballs and riding off-road vehicles. This week, with Hernandez Reservoir spilling over its brim upstream, the river flowed once more.
We took a family trip down Cienega Road last weekend just to witness what nature had wrought. Near Hollister Hills, water raced across the road in various places during a downpour, rolling off muddy banks along the winding path.
The hills throughout the county have already turned green, making the fields along Fairview Road look like the rolling hills of Ireland. Throughout the southern stretches of the county, seasonal streams flowed as the rain fell, giving life to a typically brown and dry region.
Heading north on Airline Highway on our return trip, we found the Southside Road crossing of the San Benito River closed because of the swollen waterway. People traveling over Pacheco Pass have reported that the San Luis Reservoir is as full as it can be. Lakes and reservoirs throughout the state this summer will be at levels not seen for a few years, creating great recreational opportunities.
The rain was great, but it’s enough already. It’s time to play or watch baseball or softball or just go outside without an umbrella. It’s time to wash my truck – it happens once a year – and it’s time to turn off the heater in the house.
Although the sun is not always nice to my pale complexion, my white legs need it and I actually want to get out and mow the lawn. Nature did its job and gave us the rain we needed. Now, let’s hope the sun gets its chance to shine.
Adam Breen teaches newspaper and yearbook classes at San Benito High School and is a reporter for The Pinnacle. He is former editor of the Free Lance. He can be reached by e-mail at ab****@pi**********.com.
