"Hail....no!"

~Photos by Nancy

After cooking dinner, I decided to go outside and take a few pictures of what I've heard refered to by photographers as "the golden hour". It seems that the best natural light for landscape picture-taking happens within one hour after the sunrises and before the sunsets.

Ben was still driving around the farm, so I had few minutes before dinner started. I looked out the french door and it was bright. Yes, there were some billowing clouds in the sky, but from what I could see from inside the house it was sunny and beautiful. I grabbed my camera and trotted outside.

I walked out into the yard and turned to face south. I gasped, since the scene I saw literally took my breath away. I stopped in my tracks, unable to move another step. Black, tormented clouds seemed as though they were on top of me and at any moment were going to come down and swallow up the house. Below, the horizon was gray-ish black as visibility was over-taken by darkness.

I quickly checked the direction of the blowing wind, and was relieved to realize it was south-bound. I still had a sick feeling, so after snapping a few pictures, I frantically started to move. The noisey cattle seemed to be warning me that I only had a few minutes....they were NOT happy cows tonight.

I tore off the patio cushions and nestled my potted herbs, flowers, tomatoes, and agaves against the red brick farm house.

Suddenly and abruptly...the wind stopped...and everything became creepily still. Silence... except for a muffled moan of thunder. I called Ben on the cordless phone dangling on my back pocket, and begged him to come home.

Within minutes the wind kicked up again, only THIS time it was headed north.
"It's coming!" I thought to myself. I watched as a small funnel cloud danced around the farm south of us. It was black and moved quickly. Within a mile it was only a cloud of dust.

When the storm was above our house we watched as clouds of black, grey, and green swirled above us....all in different directions. They were swirling in CIRCLES! They seemed so close, I almost felt as though I could reach up and touch one. I wanted to touch one so badly!

Then, we heard the storm warning. "Nickel-sized hail and 50-MPH wind moving up the center of Cochise County." I quickly directed Hayden inside the house and started to think of a "plan of attack" should we suddenly see a funnel cloud spill down from the sky.

Even now, thunder is shaking the house, eventhough the storm has (mostly) moved on. No hail, yet.

Here are some of the pictures I snached (including the one above). Click to enlarge......

Before...

10 Minutes Later...

"It's coming!"...

Swallowing as it goes...
(doesn't this one look like a vibrant oil painting?)