Project 365 d-174

     What a bitter sweet day I experienced today. My wife and I went to her Doctor to have an ultrasound to check on the baby's health. Once again, it was storming and drenching everything in a soggy mess. The Doctors visit went smooth and the baby was doing really well, so our mood was light as we left the office. We stood under two black umbrellas as the rain poured down in the morning gloom. From anothers perspective, we may have looked like spies meeting in an unlikely place to trade secrets. We were just exited parents for the third time albeit a little scared at the thought of starting all over with diapers and bottles again. With a goodbye kiss we entered separate vehicles and headed out into our days. I just kept thinking about that unknown, un-met little life all safe inside of her mother. It was like a birthday present you cannot open till long after your birthday is past. For as long as I could, I watched my wife in the car ahead until she turned in another direction and faded from sight.

     As I headed back toward home my mind was full of chatter from many different thoughts all trying to be heard at once. Worries, hopes, prayers, and fears all stuck in a crowded elevator unable to figure out what floor each should be on. As my eyes scanned the horizon as they always do; I noticed that extremely scary, storm clouds were gathering for a potential strike. It would seem that a heavy rain would start at any moment, but nothing more than little dots on my windshield was all that accumulated. Maybe it was saving up it's ammo for later.  I would find out that afternoon that my premintion was correct, and I nearly lost all of my Project 365 files.

     Nearing my home, I noticed a train sitting on the track with lots of graffiti on it. The rain has stopped and the skies had cleared enough for some decent light to photograph. I pulled over, grabbed my camera and walked toward the train. Photographing graffiti is something that I enjoy, and today was no exception. It can be overwhelming trying to find the right angle when looking at such a broad subject. The key is taking your time and being willing to experiment in order to get the best composition. Sometimes you find frames within a bigger picture, and some times you go with the obvious big picture. Confident that I had a little of both; I packed up and headed home.

     By the time I got home the sky was starting to look threatening again, and it wasn't long till the trees began to sway as strong winds began to blow. I was standing outside recording HD video of the crazy cloud formations above when the storm let loose. My father and my daughters were inside of the house and I met my dad peeking out the door at all the activity just as I was rushing to the front door. "Get in the basement!", I screamed as loud as I could.  They all scrambled down the steps toward safety while I stood just outside the door not wanting to miss anything good. The wind howled as lightning cracked over grumbling thunder. The rain fell like a huge waterfall causing the gutters to spill over and water gathered in a large pool around my driveway. For about twenty minutes the storm raged on. The lights flickered many times and then the power went out just as my wife was coming home