there is something special about the reflections in the puddles that form on the street after a rain. the uneven heights that usually go totally unnoticed suddenly appear because the water collects in the dips. often the puddles form in groups interrupted by higher levels in the surface. the reflection of an object is therefore also interrupted or partial and broken up which often makes the whole more interesting than if the reflection had been complete. here is a simple example from Fredriksvern Verft, the park in town with typical old Stavern yellow wooden buildings reflecting in the puddles.
one of the reasons the reflection appears more interesting is that the parts of the object being reflected change as one moves. while this is true of any reflection, the fct that it is broken into separate parts makes the change more striking as one walks by. this particular building is one of the largest wooden buildings in Norway. it was built in the 1770s as quarters for the cadets as well as storage of the provisions for the naval base. while the puddles break up the reflections, the buildings themselves have withstood far worse forces of destruction.
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