Imagine a long drought - loss of family farms, loss of livestock and crops - and then this!! For those of us who have survived we're now witnessing the miracle of the huge dam that waters the entire valley overflowing!! The sight has left not a dry eye in the valley. Life springs forth as the water floods its banks. The world is tranformed over night. The world is green, baby animals and birds are being born and those that can are returning to the farm houses. It is a joyous time.
Our quiet farm road is busier than normal with people coming to view the incredible sight.
In over a decade here I have never seen the dam so full. Is it not magnificent?
Standing overlooking the dam one can still hear the roar of the waterfalls in the faraway mountains. As the water rises and rises ....
With a slight wind and the setting sun the views over that massive body of water is something to behold. What a gift from Heaven!
There are two dirt roads leading to the dam. They are treacherous at the best of times - reached only by an adventurous 4x4.
Now one is flooded and only passable by boat!
The farmers who are not recovering from hangovers are opening their flood irrigation gates and hoping the channels hold the rush of water.
While we watch the water flooding we can see the clouds gathering in anticipation of more rain.
Water - and such a huge amount of it - in the semi desert is truly a miraculous sight to behold. How blessed we are!
Of course, our joy is tempered by sadness at the great losses endured. So, so many lives were lost or altered forever. The evidence remains in the dead trees and abandoned farmlands.