When my daughter was young, there was nothing she liked better than when I would drive through a puddle and cause huge plumes of water to rise on both sides of the car. Today's rain reminded me of that, and made me think about some of the pros and cons of puddles.
Puddles can be fun. Kids (and dogs) love to splash about through a puddle. And puddles make for beautiful reflections, such as in the picture on the left. On the other hand, if you're a pedestrian, those same plumes of water raised by passing cars can soak you in seconds. And puddles like the one on the right are very intimidating. How far will you have to walk out of your way before you can find a place to cross this street?