After more years than I like to count, I’ve come to appreciate the rain in Washington, D.C. Spring is filled with the kinds of days poets dream about, of course, with days marked by a bright sun, 70-degree temperatures and breezes that always refresh. But Washington has its share of rainy days, and not just on Capital Hill. A few weeks of torrential downpours tends to remind you that all those azaleas, daffodils and tulips come at a watery price–one that we’re willing to pay if the result is a color palette that brightens even rainy days.