Watching Lightning

I was at the coast this weekend. To say the weather was unsettled would be serious understatement.  Each ten-minute period seemed to bring a different weather mood. The alternating brilliant sunshine, overcast, wind and rain were punctuated with thunderstorms. We were walking on an open road high on the hill when a storm a couple of miles off sent a sky-filling blast of lighting. It was unnerving.
However, once we reached the cute small house where we were staying, it was fun to watch the storms. Large windows gave an expansive view of the ocean. From this snug lookout, we could see thunderstorms arrayed at intervals across the horizon, slowly marching toward the land. Lighting filled the sky and thunder rolled. We could see shafts of heavy rain descending from each cloud.  At intervals one would arrive at our section of coast, drenching our windows with rain and hail, all the while booming and flashing, before drifting off over the land a few minutes later. It is a very different thing to watch storms from a secure shelter rather than exposed outdoors.
I grew up in the Midwest and Southeast where thunder and lightening are common, and I relish the infrequent thunderstorms here in the Northwest. This extravaganza of storms was a rare treat for me. That night I awoke to more lightening and thunder. I counted seconds to see how far away the storm was. Lying snug with a warm comforter tucked under my chin, I was full of a sense of the majesty of nature and the joy of a kid who likes to watch storms.