Summer Clouds and Hodge Podge

I have always loved weather, of all kinds in all seasons. But there is just something about summer clouds that always makes me look. I don't mean just glance and smile. I mean I sit there and watch and examine and admire. I can do it all afternoon, especially if there is a front porch with a rocking chair or a swing and a glass of iced tea. (I'm talking about my mom's front porch and of course she's out there with me.) Storm watching from the porch has always been one of our favorite mother/daughter activities.

But I digress.

I like to watch summer clouds, and this week I found several to admire. Early in the week, there was this little cluster, making an appearance at dawn. They were the only clouds for miles and miles. The only ones in the sky.

And then yesterday afternoon, again in Idaho, there were some lovely puffy storm clouds starting to pile up. They always get me excited, even when they really aren't going to do anything.

Of course I may have been mistaken in my assumption that they weren't going to do anything. By the time we got through Yellowstone and back up to the interstate, there were some ominous looking storm clouds pouring out of the mountains surrounding Yellowstone National Park. We were fortunate enough to get to admire them, without having to experience their might.

I love this picture!

Early this morning, between the hours of 1:00am and 3:00am, eastern Montana put on a spectacular light show! It really was impressive. I enjoyed the show but kept hoping that there weren't any grass fires being set. It went on for quite a few hours before I finally caught up with it at the border. Fifteen minutes of hard rain and it was over. I bet the clouds were impressive.

Summer is the season for storms, and I love getting to watch them as we travel. There is nothing like watching storms in the mid-west where you can watch them for miles and miles as you travel. It passes the time.

Yesterday when we pulled into Paul, ID to unload I was delighted to discover that they had babies. There were a few little pastures surrounding the fertilizer plant and there were three babies. PAINT BABIES!

Of course no one wanted to cooperate with me and my camera...

 

 ...or even just let me look and admire. Everyone was being shy, and it wasn't the type of place where I could get out and go visit. It sure did make me miss having babies around! My turn will come...next summer!

Another bit of exciting news I thought I'd share. In my freshman college lit class, the girl who sat behind me on the first day became a good friend. We've stayed in touch over the years, even though we lived in different towns and our lives took different paths. Her husband and I hit it off pretty well too, especially after discovering we were both avid Civil War enthusiasts. Marc is a neat guy with many talents, one of which is writing. He has a blog, The Perfect Drift. He's big time into trout fishing. So I wanted to brag on him a bit. I was so thrilled for him last night when I opened facebook and saw Jill's post congratulation her husband on his big win. Marc won the grand prize in the Outdoor Blogger Networks' contest, for a blog post he did concerning trout in Yellowstone.  The grand prize is a trip to Yellowstone National Park. Sounds like they have some neat things for him to participate in while he's there, including, of course, some trout fishing time! So congratulations Marc on a job well done! I'm glad your getting some recognition for your exceptional writing! Enjoy the trip!

We're almost loaded up with fertilizer and about to head to the house for an evening and morning. Then it's back on the road to deliver in Idaho on Thursday afternoon, reload potatoes Friday, bring them to North Dakota on Saturday, and then.......AND THEN........TWO WEEKS AT HOME! 

Yep, six weeks on the road and it's time for another "vacation."