Cloud Lightning

    I've always loved lightning storms. Many children are afraid of them, but I thought they were kind of amazing (and in fact, I remember making fun of my childhood best friend for her fear... I was such a nice kid... )

    When I was younger, my mom would take me out on the front porch to watch thunderstorms. I loved it. It made me feel brave and alive to be in the presence of nature while it was demonstrating its power.


     Since moving to San Diego a year ago, one of the things I miss most is thunderstorms. The rumbling had become a comfort to me as I grew up, and suddenly I was to live in a place completely devoid of it.

    I went back to Virginia to visit family in February though, and received a spectacular treat on the plane right back out west. Our flight had to take a detour due to some strong storms heading north from the Gulf of Mexico, but we were able to see the storms from the plane windows. Consequently, I was able to view one of my favourite natural phenomena from above.

Photo from Benjamin Smith on Flickr

I wish I had thought to take out my camera to capture the moment, but I was too mesmerized staring out the window as each of the clouds below took turns illuminating. I can honestly say I had never seen anything like it. Luckily, others apparently have, so I can share a few examples from around the web!

Video from Michael Fienen on Youtube

All I know is that it definitely made the extended flight time from the detour worth it!