Welcome to one of the oddest iterations of the month of May that I can recall, where the annual morning gray turned out not to be just the low-lying marine layer but also an actual storm, with actual (and measurable -- it filled up the dog dishes on the deck) (how's that for scientific?) rain. AND rumblings of future rain the the forecast.

To celebrate, here's a shot of the post-rain Santa Monica mountain foothills in Malibu, a bit of the Backbone Trail that we walk each week. It was chilly and windy, everything rain-soaked and smelling so good.