On Sunsets and Thunderstorms

This morning, I spent my time walking about on the anvil of the sun. The weather has taken on a distinctive tangibility of summer, and mountains of energy were piling up in the atmosphere. The heat was wet and heavy, and felt like it might foreshadow the kind of fireworks that drop out of the tops of cumulonimbus clouds later in the afternoon.

Around eight pm, the sky hadn't opened up yet so I took a quick jaunt down the street to catch the sunset though the lens of my viewfinder. Thinking just a bit ahead, I managed to remember to carry along a zip to sandwich bag "just in case" thunderstorms split the sky.

The pinkish orange twilight was beginning to stretch to the tops of the clouds when I left the front door, but I'd scarcely travelled two blocks when a more ominous hint of trouble began to overtake me from behind.

Thunderstorm Gaining Ground on my Position - College Creek

I ducked into an alcove in the boathouse on College Creek.  The timing proved impeccable as the sky split just as I found a thing fringe of protected concrete. A brisk rain started to fall, but the sky grew increasingly heavy.

Beginning of the Rain - College Creek Boathouse

Moving with a quickness I associate with bicycles and school buses, the brunt of the storm picked up its pace, and the rain swept across the boat dock in sheets.

Sheets of Rain at the Height of the Storm - College Creek Boathouse

As quickly as the storm rolled in, it moved on.

Passing of the Storm - College Creek

Following the cleansing rinse, the thunder gods plied their trade on the back side of the storm. Lightning flashed through the air, and I spent quite a bit of time trying to capture a photo of the fierce denomount. Happily for me, I managed to strike it rich once. 

Lightning Strike - College Creek

This was far from the most impressive display of direct current produced, but you've got to be quick and lucky to get anything on a cell phone camera when this sort of thing happens. This was a blessing to both witness and bear witness to the power unleashed over the course of about twenty minutes.

The Storm Moves On - College Creek

I didn't capture my sunset this evening. It happened, and I'm sure it was spectacular. Flying over the fury to the east would have been a great place to capture the magic hour of the day. I'm pretty happy with how my own viewpoint turned out.

Nightfall - College Creek

Lightning continued to flash, but in spite of my best efforts to snag another digital view, timing and luck didn't favor me again.

I hope there will be other opportunities. Another adventure is in the books, and I'm looking forward to unwrapping the gift of tomorrow.

Melancholy Friday?

I'd like to think of today as a melancholy Friday. Getting back into the swing of things after an extended time on the road is always a little difficult, but today I managed to muscle through it pretty well. The day had the texture of melancholy because I had to dig a little to drum up the motivation for grinding back into the daily practice. Doing what I've learned is right for me is more challenging when the excuses to avoid the discipline stack up against you.

Hazy Sunrise over the Anacostia

All that being said, an objective view of the day leads me to acknowledge that it was not a melancholy day at all. Two-a-day walking made a comeback, calisthenics were conducted, I'm writing again, meditation went well, work proved fairly productive, and we celebrated a roommate's birthday with some gifts that went over well and an ice cream cake. We even had breakfast for supper which is never a bad way to prepare for the evening fast.

Looking back, I'm glad that the last year of "practice" gave me the fortitude to continue my practice. The accomplishments fell into place, and even though they weren't perfect they were maintained. The universe even gifted me with a sunrise. The air was warm. The breeze was humid. The air conditioning cool.

Tomorrow will be a new experience, and I'm looking forward to carrying on into another set of adventures, no matter how routine they may sometimes seem.

The Alpha and Omega

As my last full day in Florida draws to a close, I thought I'd celebrate with the bookends to a very long and only semi-productive work day.

Sunrise - Mayport, FL

I watched while the small cloud to the right of the sun sacrificed itself in the form of rain (the streaming column below the cloud) over the course of about ten minutes. I've never seen anything quite like it before in my life. It was a great way to start the morning.

I wrapped up the day with a sunset.

Sunset - Mayport, FL

Low cloud cover made this one a bit less spectacular than some of the more recent displays, but it was good being outside with a warm ocean breeze wrapping around me like a quilt.

Southwest Airlines is doing their best to make tomorrow an adventure due to a technical outage with the check-in feature of their website. As is my habit, I'm looking forward to finding out how this little adventure will play out.