Summer Thunder...

...no, I'm not talking about my thighs in shorts..uh..I don't wear shorts..

Nope, I mean the thunder storms that roll through this time of year..you know....summer.

When I was a kid in Arizona, I remember some summers that had terrific storms every afternoon  about 4-ish {maybe that's why 4pm is my favorite hour of the day..? Hmmm}

{My brother Larry, teaching me to shoot in Arizona}

Anyway, the air was electric..the heat a tad bit lower as the clouds covered the burning sun..and then the show began..

Lightening, clouds claps of thunder, cooling rain..

Also the gully washers....seems Tucson Arizona wasn't built to withstand some of those cloud bursts..I remember our house on Stone Avenue looking like river-front property with all the rain rushing through..

But, scary as it was..I loved the storms.  Looked forward to the cool {although brief}  change of temperature..

{Me & Kathy - on the ranch outside of Tucson- circa 1956}

Sometimes the storms were so angry, branches were torn off the trees and usually someone didn't respect the power or the warnings are were either stuck in a once dry wash or more seriously, struck by lightening.

The smells after the storm? wonDerFuL!  The Palo Verdes, the Pepper trees, the scrub brush..all the scents of the desert..even the hay and the alfalfa..

So what brought all this up this morning?  There's a storm headed in today..and it's already 79 degrees, overcast and wonderful.

 It looks gray, feels like childhood..and I love it.

Isn't it wonderful what triggers those sweet memories?  What summer memories are you experiencing this summer?  Hope they bring a smile to your heart..

Smiles!
-me