Thunder in the Distance

This weekend I found myself drawn, photographically at least, to things that weren’t green. I have nothing against the color green, but there’s so much of it the woods right now. And for the most part, the green is pretty monochromatic. Not the stuff of great photos, at least not for the mood I was in.

So my photo this morning is of a storm cloud against the blue sky. Friday night I had quite a storm, though I missed it all. I was away from the cabin on my weekly grocery run for a mere 50 minutes, and just 7 miles from the cabin. It was mostly sunny when I left the cabin, and when I came out of the grocery store the sky looked as though a storm was brewing. But as I was driving back, perhaps two miles from the store, I first saw a damp road, then a mile or so further and I started seeing puddles, Another mile further and suddenly I’m seeing water rushing along the road. Another mile after that and water is rushing across the road, leaving muddy tracks and various bits of greenery behind. When I got back to the cabin, the sun was out again. I’d had nearly .75 inch of rain in what must have been just a few minutes. I’d missed it all.

Other than the storm, the other bit of excitement happened Sunday morning around 4:30 a.m. I was awakened by the sound of a fox bark. It sounded as though the fox was under the cabin, though I think it was right beside it. The bark woke up the dogs, who joined in the barking. The fox barked several times again, each time a little further away. I believe it was running up my driveway. Dog and Baby Dog were still barking. The cats ran. So much for sleeping in.
Several explanations for the fox(es) are possible. One is that the foxes were out hunting in the early morning. Another is that they are a mated pair and were possibly out exercising the kits. Certainly, there was a lot of barking involved, as though added communication was needed. I never did get back to sleep afterwards.