Marching Away

FTLComm - Tisdale - Sunday, July 29, 2001

We are somewhat unaccustomed to the flamboyant display of thunderstorms and their aftermath. Just before midnight a group of cells converged upon us flashing and rumbling away on all quadrants for just about an hour. Most of the flashes were cloud to cloud discharges that most of call sheet lightening but one way or another it was a find show. The gentle rainfall that followed gave us something like two tenths of an inch of rain, perhaps a little more. But the fresh smell and polished streets this morning were positively delightful. These pictures were taken a few minutes before eight as

some where heading off for work and others like myself snapped a few pictures to begin the day. In the East the rambunctious bunch from the past night are making their way toward Manitoba to begin their cycle of build up and dispersal with the heat of the new day. The glory of rain is not something we in Saskatchewan have seen much of in the last year and the shine on the street is one thing we have missed. Rain not only nourishes plants and fills streams but it also washes away grit and dust. Our back yard had a certain glow to it this morning as the bright sun pierced its way through the trees to reveal the puddle on the plastic table. The morning wind, now more than a breeze from the South South West cleared away the smell of cooking alfalfa replacing it with just a touch of pinching ozone, the stuff we call "fresh."