After many years of drought, this was the view from the Berkeley waterfront in October 2023. Walking the dog along the dry, cracked, earthen paths, I smelled the promise of rain in the air, and the horizon towards the Golden Gate looked pregnant with hope. As the dark clouds gathered, I felt inspired to rush back to my studio to capture the essence of this moment with my pastels. This first storm would mark the happy end of our days of water scarcity, at least for a time.