A typical spring thunderstorm just passed through.
First the sky darkened. Then a few droplets pattered on the leaves. From the west came a loud, deep-bass rumble. It started to sprinkle. Suddenly the air was rent by an explosive flash and crash of lightening and thunder. As if shook loose from the dark clouds, the rain began to pour—beating into a roar through the canopy leaves. It was almost impossible to see across the river.
The dogs (we're again dogsitting Will and Gwyn while my daughter and son-in-law are in Florida) whom I'd just let out—too late—for a quick before-the-storm reconnoiter, dashed frantically about before making a beeline for the door, giving me a dirty you-planned-that! look as they passed on the deck. 
For a handful of minutes the storm—as if undecided about what to do next—vacillated beween downpours and sprinkles. There were several additional cannonades of thunder, a few more lightening fireworks…and then, like a throttled faucet, the rain simply ceased as the storm apparently made up its mind and moved on.
I grabbed a camera and made a quick photographic circumnavigation around the cottage. These are my five favorite images. Double-click to view any a bit larger.
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14 comments:
HI GRIZZ - your pictures are exquisite - my goodness. Love each one. I do. And I have to ask, were you out in my yard taking those? Same weather here and images to behold.
Love you dearly
Gail
peace...
p.s.my Mom fractured her tail bone (cocyx), enough!!
Gail…
Thank you. They're really nothing special—though in the bright, soft, post-rain light, even the lowliest leaf looks comely. Since posting this, it has again darkened up and begun to rain—but even so, I hear a robin singing his heart out.
Tell you're Mom she's got to quit rough-housing when playing musical chairs. ;-) Please wish her the best from me.
...these are really nice, Grizz. I love seeing raindrops on flowers and plants.
I can't wait for internet smell-o-vision -awww the fresh scent after a storm-the wet intensifies colour-great drips and drops.
Kelly...
I do, too. And as a photographer, it's almost impossible to make a bad photo of any plant or bloom.
AfromTO...
Thank you. That fresh after-the-rain smell is great. But that Smell-O-Vision update could make for some interesting blogging.
Lovely images, my favourite is the pink flower. I really enjoyed reading your reply to yesterday's comment. I could just see the heron flapping wildly in the water:)
Rowan…
Thank you. While I could be wrong in my identification, I believe the deep-pink bloom you like is one of the scabiosas I planted last year when I bought some 300 items at a local nursery's "leftovers" sale.
Re. the occasional heron which slips and ends up swimming/flapping in the creek…they look for all the world like giant, long-legged feather dusters with beaks. Pretty pathetic in a bedraggled, funny sort of way. And when they do make it back to the bank, they hop and shake, and try their best to look as though they meant to take that bath all along, though dignity is momentarily hard to come by.
water on plants - what could be more beautiful Grizz. As usual, you have captured it to perfection.
We are finally getting some rain too over here in Illinois. The farmers are glad because the corn needs water, and I'm glad because I don't have to water so much. I do wish I lived by a river, but we can't all be that blessed. Someone has to live in town!
Debbie
Weaver…
Thank you. The glowing-soft light, the moisture's sheen and jeweled droplets—all make for great subjects and render a photographer's job easy.
Debbie…
We had rain off-and-on all day yesterday, and some quite heavy during the night. Today the river is up more than a foot and fairly discolored. We've not done too much watering so far this spring—though it's been dry, we've had just enough widely-spaced showers to get by, and of course we've watered new and transplanted stuff. The river is handy in a pinch, but dipping up a bucket at a time and lugging it around the yard is more work than you'd think—much as I like the extra nutrients (run-off chemicals?) of water from the river; seems more "natural." That said, I (being lazy) mostly rely on the well and a long hose.
Hey, somebody has to live in cities to keep the country uncluttered for us rural types. (Actually, the "city" or commercial suburbs, anyway, are just across the river and about 1000 yards beyond on the far side of a park. Big-box grocery and general merchandise, hospital and doctors, various fast-food joints, car-parts stores, etc. I can't see it or hear it or smell it—except for the steakhouse when the wind is right—but it's there, lurking, ready to take my cash and give me a dose of parking lots and traffic lights whenever I'm in the mood for a bit of abuse. On the other hand, I can catch some really nice smallmouth bass without leaving my yard.)
Scribe--these photos are just STUNNING.
Glad you grabbed the camera and headed out.
KGMom…
I love post-rain photography because of the wealth of such images, of almost anything—and how the light and sparkle makes a good pix easy.
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