June 11, 2015
Not Like Federal Prison At All
I was talking to my husband Kenny last night (I love saying that by the way) about this fantastic thunderstorm and subsequent amazing sunset we had yesterday. And he said, “you really should blog about that!” So here I am – twice in one week!
I generally don’t think about the Central Valley as a place that gets a lot of thunderstorms but Mother Nature is changing my point of view. We have had a few since I have been here and the one that hit late yesterday afternoon was a doozy. When I headed over to the chow hall for my dinner shift, it was sprinkling lightly. Thirty minutes later, it was pitch black, there was lightning everywhere and torrential sideways rain! I expected the Wicked Witch of the West (aka Elmira Gulch?) to go riding by any second!
As happens with thunderstorms, the haze from earlier in the day disappeared and the temperature dropped 20 degrees. Perfect for an evening walk with my friend David. And we were treated to one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen. The many layers of the receding thunderstorm lit up in brilliant oranges that looked like molten lava. With the oranges set against the black clouds of the storm and lightning strikes in the distance, it was like the sky above Mt. Doom in the Lord of the Rings! The mountains and hills that surround the facility lit up in reds and purples and the smell of wet sage hung in the air.
It was magical and a lot of guys were just standing on the track looking at it. It was a magical – and almost spiritual – moment and I felt like I was a million miles away from prison.
Good things happen here frequently. You just have to notice them. Thanks for sharing this one with me!
David
