Another one of the different things I'm experiencing here in the South are the Thunderstorms.
We've had a few since I've been here, but none like the one this past Wednesday. I have to say it was my first MAJOR thunderstorm. Oh, I've seen lightning, and I've heard thunder, but Good Lord! This was scary! lol
Now, in California, it seems to me that in the summer the hottest part of the day is between 12 and 3 or 4, and then it cools down as the sun sets. Well, not here. Here the day gets hotter between 4 and 7, and that heat can (according to the link) produce a Thunderstorm in only 20 minutes. This last week a storm came in the likes of which I have never seen. The big pines out back were bending and swaying under the force of turbulent winds, as the lightning show started. Off in the near distance, I saw a bolt come down that shone red around the body! Followed by that loud CRRRAAAACCCKKKK!! With this Chris turns to me, and says: "NOW you see why I unplug the computers during a thunderstorm?". (One year lightning struck a tree just outside his apartment that hit the building, and fried his computer) That's when the torrential rain came down, and I heard the loudest thunder in my life. It sounded like someone smashing metal trashcans together as hard as they could INSIDE MY HEAD. It scared me to say the least, and I'm not usually scared by storms, but it was right on top of us. Chris informs me this is still mild compared to some he's seen. WOW. Well, it was a big one for me. Mother Nature is one powerful force. I felt very small and vulnerable. (Tho the lightning show was really pretty cool to watch.)
The good thing about these storms? My car gets washed weekly. :)
People had told me about the humidity, but I had no idea what that was. Now I do. It's just as bad as they say. It's oppressive, and gross. Apparently, I still have a good month and a half of summer to go. Well, at least we have the ICE PALACE as a refuge!
