Rain Clouds, Storms and Sun

It’s been extraordinarily hot for the last few weeks. When the forecast called for severe thunderstorms we made sure our electronic devices were charged because it’s not uncommon to lose electricity. So when the rain clouds were in sight we watched the sky turn from frightful to pouring rain to down right scary. Then the sun emerged from beneath the clouds and the rain started again. Then the sky color changed to a bright orange - which isn’t that unusual. But what was unusual was the emergence of another line of clouds that almost looked like a mountain range above the tree line. I had never seen anything quite like this before. I’m just glad that we chose to live on the west side of the building. You never know what might happen. 

Storm Clouds and Chick-fil-a

It’s been several months since we last visited Chick-fil-a. My husband has been suggesting that we go back some time - so we decided last evening would be good to pick up dinner. We tend to eat healthier food, but every once in a while you just need to indulge. So we ordered up the usual fare - the southwestern salad, the spicy chicken sandwich, waffle fries, small Mac and cheese, vanilla milkshake, and a small side of the new pimento sauce to try. As soon as we left the house the storm clouds surrounded us. I tend to not go outside if there is even the slightest hint of a weather event. The only saving grace is that we live in a condo building that has underground parking. That is a far cry from the dreadful street parking we endured for thirteen years when we lived on Capitol Hill - so we never have to worry any more about finding a space to park and staying dry walking back home from it. The Chick-fil-a is located in Tyson’s so it takes at least forty five minutes for a round trip. We managed to dodge the rain for most of the ride - except of course when the guy delivered the food to the curbside spot. The Saturday evening traffic is always better than rush hour during the week. The milkshake was gone by the time we got home. The dinner was tasty, but we won’t be going back any time soon. You could call it our big adventure of the week. 

Stormy Skies

I didn’t like Florida because of hurricanes and water spouts. I didn’t like the Midwest because of snow, ice and blizzards. We left New England when I was six to get relief from icicles and snow. For whatever reason I always thought the eastern seaboard/mid Atlantic area would be a great place to live. Since we moved to DC a seventeen years ago there have been all of the above weather events including an earthquake! I even have three different umbrellas based on the type of rain that is falling. We have actually been luckier than most this year weather wise, but the threat of severe storms and tornadoes is more common that I would prefer. This week we had two significant events - so much so that the federal government employees were sent home early to avoid the chaos. We now live in a condo in northern Virginia and have a balcony that faces west. So we literally see the storms approaching.  I’m not the one who loves lightening and thunder either. But I do have to admit that some of the most interesting views come after the storm. The most recent event ended up turning in to a most unusual night sky that was hypnotically yellow as the sun was finally setting. I wish the weather didn’t have such an impact on me and any plans to do things around it. Maybe it’s better to be ignorant about what’s going on around you - but that’s never going to happen. 

Woodland Flowers

It was going to rain this morning but we thought we would have enough time to beat it. So we drove the car over to the neighborhood park for our morning walk. There seemed to be more folks out and about than usual - probably trying to beat the rain too. Because it was more cloudy than sunny the park took on a whole different vibe. We thought we saw a fox up ahead on the path. It kept staring at us and then jumped in to the brush. We haven’t seen any deer for awhile and we spotted two. Maybe they all like the rainy weather more. The hawk was making its usual noise above us. But what got my attention today were the wild flowers that just looked so pretty against the greenery. Even the smallest ones looked majestic - one looking like a tiny orange orchid. And there were berries. We’ve seen a few people pick and eat them along the way. I wouldn’t be so brave. On the way back to the car the planted gardens around the community library were filled with coneflowers. We used to have them in our Midwest garden. There’s just something about flowers - no matter where they are. 

Rainy and Foggy New Year’s Day in DC

We woke up to a very dense foggy and rainy day. Rather than take a walk - like we usually do - we took a drive in to town. There were several disabled cars and a roll over along the GW Parkway. The fog was everywhere. Once we drove on to Arlington Memorial Bridge the traffic thinned out to nothing and the streets were relatively empty. On the national mall there were a lot of available parking spaces. The tourist traffic was a lot less than it has been over the last two weeks. We continued to drive by all of the familiar landmarks. Everything looked a bit more mysterious. A few pedestrians and die hards were out and about. We drove by our old condo building on Capitol Hill. We do still miss the neighborhood but there are a lot of things we are happy to have left behind. It almost feels weird that we actually lived there for thirteen years. We do still love to visit. On the way home the fog was so thick we couldn’t even see across the Potomac and the bridges disappeared. It was an interesting ride to start out the new year. I’m looking forward to the sunshine.