It Came, It Conquered, It Left

I just have to share these pictures with you.  One hour is all it actually took to come through and leave.  Last night at dinnertime the sun was shining so brightly and all of a sudden it began raining!  I am forever taking pictures of cloud formations and this afternoons' panorama made me run and grab my camera.  I realize there are trees, houses, hydro poles and wires in some of these, it cannot be avoided from my vantage point upstairs, but, I can never get enough of clouds and the vistas some of these pre-storm formations which send my imagination soaring.    As a child I would make up stories about those far off places I could envision in those cloud formations,  just before a storm, or, when sitting in the back seat of my fathers' vehicle seeing those beautiful cloud lands in the distance as we traveled home.  
Last night looking beyond the horizon I saw clouds that looked like mountains and blue sky that looked like a body of water patiently waiting for people to sail on it, well, that was my imagination working, what it was was a a heavy cloud formation bring with it a heavy rain storm.  I also heard thunder in the distance so I knew these were a prelude to what was on its way, we were in for a thunder storm, so I decided to take it in its progression.  I took over 100 photo's and these are but a few.

There in the back, can you see those mountains I saw?

After I took the picture above there came such a heavy loud boom of thunder that it made me jump, I wasn't expecting it to be so close.

Then the rain came so fast and so heavy I could hardly see through it.

Even the wild rose bushes (guess they should be called trees now) were left with broken branches. 

In less than 5 minutes it went from really dark to light again leaving behind a a freshness to the greenery that was sparkling.  And above us a rainbow which needless to say I just had to take a photo of to share.

The storm has not entirely left us and was still rumbling out there but it seemed like it was moving eastward away from us.  I have to say all of my mothers' beautiful,  full and luscious peonies are well and truly destroyed.  Every year mother falls head over heels in love with those beautiful peonies and in a matter of days after flowering a heavy rain comes along to obliterate them.

After it all we were treated to a very pretty sunset.  Guess if the old refrain of red skies at night is true, then today should be a beautiful day.

Hoping all is well in your area and that you experience no flooding as this particular storm sure dumped alot of water on us in such a very short span of time. 

Our Town has had work done over the past year with storm sewers and sidewalks and new road paving undertaken, I can only hope that the damage a heavy rain such as we just had last evening will no longer be a flood threat to those along the route where the work has been done and I believe finished as it applies to the storm sewers and proper drainage.  I do know that my car got a good washing and the gardens and lawns in our Town certainly received that life giving nutrition from the heavens and even with some destruction to those heavy headed peonies, it was worth it.  I have been seeking a rain barrel for the collection of rain water, so far I have not found one (their so expensive)and I want one for free!  Can you imagine the amount of  free water I could have collected last night?

I am off to sewing club today, taking this quilt along and hope to have all borders finally attached.   Please, cross your fingers that one or two more people show up and that this club may eventually take form and shape.  If  the club does not grow a little more by the end of July I will have to admit defeat and shelve it for the summer and try again this fall.

Don't let anyone steal your dream.  It's your dream, not theirs.  ~Dan Zadra