5-16-07 - Stepping down off the soapbox... how about some insight??

Cool photo, huh? Tornadoes just mesmerize me. Don't know why! ... The one time I saw a tornado in real life, I panicked. Don't worry, I wasn't even close enough to it, to have even been worried about it.

The story behind this one is... Summer of 1990:

My (now) ex-husband, Alan, our son, (Michael) & I were eating when we heard the storm approach. I don't remember exactly what happened to make me go outside... But I did. We were in an apartment building & when you walk right out the door, it was like a little porch. We were on the 2nd floor. I looked out off the porch & in the sky I saw a funnel cloud. I raced down to my neighbors, (we had made friends with; which, unfortunately, I can't remember their names.), & pounded on their door & yelled "TORNADO"!!!

By that time, Alan, was out in the parking lot watching it flee over the hill. He hollered, "It's gone."

Then a couple minutes later our phone rang & I ran upstairs to answer it. It was my mom. "A tornado just hit the farm" she said. Thankfully everyone (animals included) were ok. But the conversation was short lived... because the line cut out. We believed it was the same tornado we had just seen from the porch.

So, needless to say, I was frantic. I asked Alan to get Michael & take us to the farm to check on Mom.

Sure enough, there was some damage. (If I can find the photos & get them scanned in, I'll add it to my albums.)

My mom said she watch the whole thing from the basement. She saw the tornado come from the back woods, take the chicken house (no chickens in it thankfully) & turn it upside down into the machine shed right next to it. Then it "bounced" right over the FOUR story barn (without damaging the barn!); take out a few trees in the woods by the sawmill & go across the valley & do some damage there. Then disappear in the valley. (Where more trees were toppled.)

That's not the only time I had a brush with tornadoes... The next summer Alan, Michael & I were living in a trailer home park. (DON'T LAUGH!). & TWO nights in a row we were awoken by heavy winds. & Tornado sirens off in the distance. We rush to the truck & drove to the storm shelter for the park residents & thankfully for us was not too far... but not close enough to run to it.

The 1st night wasn't too bad... mostly wind, rain & lighting... but the 2nd night, on our way to the truck we both thought we saw a tornado (& we had) in between lighting strikes. This spooked Alan & he raced us up to the shelter faster than the night before.

Thankfully the tornado stayed away from the trailer park. (See they're not always attracted to trailer parks!) However it did do some damage (nothing major) about 5 miles down the road.

Ever since then (& maybe before) I have been intrigued with tornado photos & videos. Now with the internet, I take pleasure in viewing radars of storms. I also enjoy watching about hurricanes & trying to figure out were they'll make landfall. (Maybe I should be come a meteorologist.) yeah, right!

It's not just tornadoes & hurricanes that fascinate me. I enjoy most nature photos & videos. Including rainbows.

To think... I do not like being outdoors 100% of the time. Either it's way too hot or too cold... not to mention the bugs & mosquitoes.

I'll bet right now, my dad is saying... I'd love it where he is!!!

Since I posted that aerial picture of his home, I won't say where in the world he lives. Just know that it's about 68 degrees most days, all year round. So, he says... (since I don't remember my trips (see past blogs) to see him... I have to just take him at his word.)

Ok, ok, I've rambled enough today! Now you know a little more about Lady Harley!!
Have a GREAT day! (She says as she realizes she's starting to be more like her "old" self... the cheerful rambler!)

P.S. Yes, I enjoy seeing & adding the "smileys" to my posts!!