By Bob Krauss
Advertiser Columnist

Don't let anybody tell you that Our Honolulu is gloomy after a big rain just because the sky is gray and overcast. Go outside where the air has been washed clean and you'll know what I mean.

Our city was filled with magic when I walked along Upper Manoa Stream at dawn after an overnight downpour. The playing field behind Ala Wai School had been transformed into a placid mirror of standing water, upside-down high-rises sharply etched, their lights twinkling in the mirror.

It was wonderfully still. Only the subdued symphony of chirping birds disturbed the dusky quiet — and a subtle tinkling like wind chimes.

I walked on a little farther and the delightful music got louder. What could it be? I looked down and saw that a mud puddle was running into a storm drain creating a miniature waterfall. I could have been in an enchanted forest instead of standing over the sewer.

Along Manoa Stream I decided that kiawe is my favorite tree after a big rain. The gnarled, sodden branches are doomsday-black, a threatening tangle of mystery. But the intricate, lacy leaves are dainty green, jeweled with little drops of water.

A perky lady named Amy who feeds the ducks came walking along. I called her over and said, "I want to show you something. See the leaves. They look like a woman with a teased hairdo who's been walking in the mist."

She scrunched down for a better look and laughed. "It's nice after a rain," she agreed. "The air is so fresh and clean." Then she walked on to feed her ducks.

People who walk after a big rain are very real. It takes courage when the clouds are heavy with water. No pretensions; sweat shirts, wind breakers, faded shorts, scruffy walking shoes, baseball caps. A few umbrellas for the faint hearted.

The ducks seemed to have more dignity after the rain, as if they belonged there instead of us. They were out in force, at least 25, waddling around like kings of the jungle.

The Ala Wai, a rich mud-brown, flowed slowly, swollen to its banks.

A young fellow with a bicycle slept on a bench nearly. He was wrapped up in a bright blue, plastic tarp, snug and dry, surrounded by his garden. It's quite tasteful, little beds of flowers he has planted and tends before riding off somewhere.

The paths in the community garden along the Ala Wai were awash but the riot of vegetables from around the world radiated vitality from the rain, all locked inside crazy cubicles of fencing and lattice and corrugated iron. Nothing documents the cultural complexity of Our Honolulu like those vegetables.

On my way back, I stood at the curb to let a gray-haired lady in a shiny blue car go by. She came to a quick stop and motioned me across the street. We waved and smiled at each other like old friends.

Go walking after a big rain sometime. It's delightful.

Reach Bob Krauss at 525-8073.