We are accustomed to storm water; that water filled with sediments, road dirt or other material running loudly down a ditch or brook, capped with white. In New England the natural storm water runoff wouldn’t carry much sediment due to the nearly complete tree cover, but even an undisturbed forest watershed will have large amounts of debris, or tannin, colouring the water after a storm.  The rain the other day was no exception.  The ditch by the lane was steadily increasing in turbidity on its way down, with a massive jump in sediment levels below an area of washing on the dirt road.

It was, therefore, a slight surprise to turn away from the stream to look at the pond.  There was no wind and there is never a visible current in the pond, though a leaf will make a slow circuit.  And so, in the rain at dusk, the pond was a slate gray mimic of the sky.  A rain shadow could be seen, smooth water beneath the tree branches which were catching water; but over most of the pond the raindrops made the surface opaque and apparently rough.  From some places the water appeared to be dark, broken and then refrozen ice and from others it looked more like stone, if you had stone that flat.  Water in such a setting can be a little spooky, the usual clues that say ‘water’ are movement, reflections, sediment.  Frequently, the pond is sufficiently clear that its depth (which isn’t much) is uncertain, but on those days the reflection of the trees and the color of the water helps tell the eye that it is looking at a body of water.  Wind ripples do the same.  But to see a grey, featureless surface, with no wind ripples and no reflection of trees, nor any ability to see down into the water, that was distinctly different.  It really did give the impression of a hole in the earth that was filled with the storm.