Thunderstorms, Thorns, and Bees, oh my!

As much as dependably warm, sunny days in summer are my favorite kind of weather, there's something viscerally satisfying about spring weather. Dramatic and unpredictable, it keeps me on my toes and always has a new surprise around the corner. If it's raining, there's always a chance that it'll stop and the sun will come out. On the other hand, one can't get complacent about sunshine, or one will find one's self in an unexpected rainstorm. This was the situation in which I found myself yesterday.

At the time that I arrived at the park, the sun was out. I could see rain showers to the north, but at Discovery Park the weather was great. I did see this storm to the west, but assumed that it was one that had formed over the Olympics and didn't really pose a threat:

No problem...right?

That was at about 2:30. I ambled around taking pictures in my characteristic fashion. About twenty minutes later, I noticed how the storm cloud I had photographed earlier had evolved:

Not quite as benign-looking.

After this point, the air cooled off and the winds got quite a bit gustier. About ten minutes later, the storm cloud was so large that, at my widest camera angle, I couldn't fit the entire thing in the frame anymore:

Danger!!

At that point, the clouds moved over the sun and I hot-footed it back to my vehicle, not really in the mood to get rained or hailed on (or wet-snowed on, as apparently happened in some places around the Puget Sound). As I drove out of the park, a few raindrops hit my windshield. Although it wouldn't actually start raining in earnest for an hour or two after that, I complimented myself at the time for a clean escape. Since my backpack is pretty hardy, getting rained on wouldn't have been the worst thing that could have happened to me; I've dealt with it before. But it's nice to avoid it when possible!

Now I'm sure you're wondering about the thorns and bees. My encounter with the thorns was my own fault. Tip: if you're going to sit or lie down in the grass to take a picture, check the ground for thorns and other unpleasant objects. There were some dead thorn branches hiding in the grass that gave me a hostile greeting when I got down to take a picture. Oh well, I got some good angles out of it.

Yesterday also marked the first time this year I had seen (and heard and felt, flitting around me) bees. That is one of my classic spring milestones. I still consider it early spring yet. Mid-spring doesn't come until I get my first mosquito bite, usually in mid- or late April. Late spring happens as soon as it's warm enough to get the shorts out - which, if our weather pattern continues, may not happen for quite some time.

Meanwhile, fare you well, and may your paths be bright and........stormy??