It took awhile to get these photos posted, but here is our walk home through an impending storm. Our house is just below the elementary school soccer field. Its only a five minute walk but we could see the sky changing and smell rain in the air.
There's always an intense wind that picks up just before the storm. The build up comes with enough signs so that everyone might scramble inside or find some dry shelter. This is also the part that lends itself to an eerie movie. The prelude to the storm suggests strength and magnitude and biblical cleansing. It is here that the thunder rolled along the heavens, hinting at another world up top.
By the time we reached our house, the sky had gotten quite dark. Nabih kept asking if it was night. It was really only around 3:00. It seemed like the clouds were making mountains off which the thunder rolled and bounced. Just as we reached the back yard, there was a burst so loud we set off on an involuntary run.
Our front sidewalk, which we don't use that often, quickly turned into a small river. We sat on the back porch enjoying our (belated) slice of Thanksgiving sweet potato pie as the rain pelted us through the screen. "How can the rain fall sideways?" Mohamed asked incredulously. Ah, the power of the wind. There is often a lake sized puddle on the back porch the morning after a rain, and I try to remember not to leave the shoes out there. A few hot, sunny days always wipes the warning from my mind.
After the thunder and lightning had their say, the rain was free to fall in musical melody. This is the view from the front step. There is a nice covered area that is perfect for watching the storm, taking a few photos and breathing the clean scent of the falling water. Luckily, it's also wide enough to catch me as I jumped at a final burst of thunderous applause that clapped from the sky. The bolt of lightning was so clear and close I thought I might have captured the image. Slightly tempted to stay out and try again, this once, better judgement ruled and I watched the rest of the storm from inside. 
