Listen...

...to the rumble of thunder. Listen...

I chose not to ride to work today because the weather forecast called for (a relatively high chance of) thunderstorms. Yes, I'm a fair-weather bike commuter.

The ground stayed dry all day, and I arrived home to blue skies with scattered white clouds, and a warm temperature in the low 80s. The National Weather Service showed a severe thunderstorm watch for the area, so my bicycles insisted on staying under cover. I headed out walking, hoping to stay dry but knowing that clothes dry quickly if the rain caught me.

Home again. The sky was much darker than when I left, the air was quiet, the ground was still dry.

The dark skies continued to get darker, darker and darker. Thunder started rumbling, and the occasional flash of lightening decorated the sky. Light rain started falling. It morphed into heavy rain. Heavier, louder. A cool breeze started blowing, and the temperature dropped to 67, down 15 degrees in a very short period of time. Rain. Wind. Dark skies.

I love watching storms. I love the smell of fresh rain.

Listen to the thunder. Listen to the rustle of the rain. Feel the cool breeze. Listen...