This past Saturday evening proved to be an adventure for my family. The adventure started out in a very mundane way; I bought tickets to the local university football game. The day went by rather slowly for a weekend day, but finally game time rolled around. The weather had been very nice all day, but as my lovely bride and I drove toward Odessa, we noticed that the skies to the south and west were very dark and threatening. A short time later we hit a small rain squall. Before we reached Odessa, we a passed through a major storm, but then the skies seemed to clear slightly, and seemed less oppressive.
At Odessa we picked up Child B and Baby Baby (our granddaughter) then headed to the football stadium. Upon arrival we got our first inkling that something was out of the ordinary. The gates to the stadium were closed and no one was allowed inside. We were told that too much lightning was happening and the game was delayed. A short time later a police officer raced to where we were standing and began shouting for everyone to return to their vehicles, and that a tornado had touched down just a few miles west of our location, moving in our direction. As we made our way back to our car I saw how many other vehicles were on the parking lot. I realized that if a panic suddenly started, there would probably be many minor accidents and it would be next to impossible to get out of the stadium. So I suggested we leave immediately. Just a few other cars were leaving at this time, so our escape was quick. We drove to the local mall and went inside. Just in time, it turned out.
About ten minutes later a storm of quite intense magnitude broke right over the mall. We could hear the noise of the rain falling on the roof, and over that noise we could hear hail striking the roof as well. Thunder could be heard over the din of the storm. We ate our dinner at Fuddrucker's then went out into the mall to walk around. A few minutes later we were urged into an interior hallway, again due to a tornado being spotted in the area. The storm dropped slightly in intensity shortly, and we made our way toward the doors by which we had entered the mall earlier. Before we could get out, the storm gained in intensity again, so this time we took shelter inside the interior of the mall's multi-screened theater. We passed the time keeping Baby Baby entertained, which kept us entertained as well.
Later I noticed that the storm's intensity had dropped very noticeably, so Child B and I looked outside. Rain was falling and the parking lot was flooded, but there was no real hazard now other than frequent lightening. I braved the lightening and made my way to the car. It was raining even less by this time and I picked up the family curb-side. We made our way back to Child B's home and dropped off our precious cargo. Son-in-law was safe and sound. We were worried about Child A as well, and had maintained contact with him throughout the storm. He did not experience the fury of the storm as we did, and was doing quite well. By the time we got home, another storm was brewing but we made it inside and no longer cared.
I love stormy weather and I even love to find somewhat precarious places from which to watch the lightning and the cloud formations, sometimes even to the point of endangerment. My lovely bride has no sympathy for me if I meet my demise in a "stupid way" such as being struck by lightning while standing outside during a monsoon. Mother Nature can be so beautiful and so dangerous all at the same time. It truly was an awesome sight, this storm, even with all the built-in dangers. I do love watching these storms, and I guess my hope is that should I get struck by lightning, it will not hurt badly, or at least not for very long. Most of all I was happy that our family, and all those that attended the rained-out game Saturday evening, made it home safely. And, there was surprisingly little storm damage. All in all, a grand adventure. Can't wait for next Saturday!
At Odessa we picked up Child B and Baby Baby (our granddaughter) then headed to the football stadium. Upon arrival we got our first inkling that something was out of the ordinary. The gates to the stadium were closed and no one was allowed inside. We were told that too much lightning was happening and the game was delayed. A short time later a police officer raced to where we were standing and began shouting for everyone to return to their vehicles, and that a tornado had touched down just a few miles west of our location, moving in our direction. As we made our way back to our car I saw how many other vehicles were on the parking lot. I realized that if a panic suddenly started, there would probably be many minor accidents and it would be next to impossible to get out of the stadium. So I suggested we leave immediately. Just a few other cars were leaving at this time, so our escape was quick. We drove to the local mall and went inside. Just in time, it turned out.
About ten minutes later a storm of quite intense magnitude broke right over the mall. We could hear the noise of the rain falling on the roof, and over that noise we could hear hail striking the roof as well. Thunder could be heard over the din of the storm. We ate our dinner at Fuddrucker's then went out into the mall to walk around. A few minutes later we were urged into an interior hallway, again due to a tornado being spotted in the area. The storm dropped slightly in intensity shortly, and we made our way toward the doors by which we had entered the mall earlier. Before we could get out, the storm gained in intensity again, so this time we took shelter inside the interior of the mall's multi-screened theater. We passed the time keeping Baby Baby entertained, which kept us entertained as well.
Later I noticed that the storm's intensity had dropped very noticeably, so Child B and I looked outside. Rain was falling and the parking lot was flooded, but there was no real hazard now other than frequent lightening. I braved the lightening and made my way to the car. It was raining even less by this time and I picked up the family curb-side. We made our way back to Child B's home and dropped off our precious cargo. Son-in-law was safe and sound. We were worried about Child A as well, and had maintained contact with him throughout the storm. He did not experience the fury of the storm as we did, and was doing quite well. By the time we got home, another storm was brewing but we made it inside and no longer cared.
I love stormy weather and I even love to find somewhat precarious places from which to watch the lightning and the cloud formations, sometimes even to the point of endangerment. My lovely bride has no sympathy for me if I meet my demise in a "stupid way" such as being struck by lightning while standing outside during a monsoon. Mother Nature can be so beautiful and so dangerous all at the same time. It truly was an awesome sight, this storm, even with all the built-in dangers. I do love watching these storms, and I guess my hope is that should I get struck by lightning, it will not hurt badly, or at least not for very long. Most of all I was happy that our family, and all those that attended the rained-out game Saturday evening, made it home safely. And, there was surprisingly little storm damage. All in all, a grand adventure. Can't wait for next Saturday!
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