"I love thunderstorms"

Normally, I do too... although, this afternoon I had to be out picking up the kids from school in the middle of lightning, thunder and hail. I looked like a drown Rat by the time I got home.*L* Course now I'm home, warm and dry, so the storm can rage all it wants :)

The power of the storms out here still amazes me... didn't get many thunderstorms like these back Oregon.

Ah -- thunderstorms outdoors are not nearly as much fun as thunderstorms when you're indoors.

Although, I used to live in a tent for 3 months at a time as a field archaeologist in Wyoming and several times a year I'd get up and find everyone else grousing about how the storm kept them up. I'd be all, "Oh, did it rain?" I actually sleep better when it's storming. I've been around them my whole life (we moved north when we traded Florida for Houston) so they're no big deal to me.

Now hail is a WHOLE different story. It's hardly ever conducive to hail down here -- and I'm happy for that. Laramie got hail and that was No Fun.

Edited 2010-05-15 03:08 am (UTC)

What part of Texas are you in? I wouldn't want to experience too many storms in the Panhandle, for instance, given the danger of tornadoes. Nearly all of our tornadoes are hurricane-related so normally one has been able to prepare. As well as one can for tornadoes.

we are just below the panhandle (in Lubbock) so ya, on a bad day there are plenty of tornado warnings around us. One of the many things I'll never get used to here. Funny enough growing up in the Oregon weather was never much of an issues... mostly the news consisted of telling us, either it was raining or it wasn't (usually was ;) Here, everyday seems be something completely different.

Yikes. That's a scary part of the world for violent storms. Mind you, hurricanes are no cakewalk but I like that it's possible to prepare for them. Sort of. And I hope I never see another one.

The High Plains are home to some wild weather. I used to pitch my tent near Pine Bluffs, WY on the Western edge of those plains. It was far more changeable than I what we get around here.

OTOH, you're near Lubbock Lake, where the oldest human remains in Texas were found! I'm probably the only person who thinks that makes up for a lot of negatives but I've always wanted to visit but never had enough time when I was in the area to make the side trip.

"you're near Lubbock Lake, where the oldest human remains in Texas were found!"

It's about 15 minutes from here :) Ironically, that is where my daughter had her school field trip today.

They offer classes out there for the kids during the summer, thought I'd sign up the older girls... I think they would really enjoy it :)

*iz not jealous* *iz not jealous* Oh, who am I kidding? I'm jealous! My school trips were the Imperial Pure Cane Sugar Refinery and, okay, the Hogg Plantation was interesting in a "look at this hybrid Southern/Victorian room you can't enter and this furniture you can't touch" kind of un-air conditioned way. I have got to plan a trip to Lubbock Lake at some point.

What kind of classes do they teach out there? Sounds fascinating!

as a kid we had some good school trips, the beach, mountains, wildlife parks.. that sort of thing. Don't remember them being terribly educational, but fun ;) My kids trips have been more museums and such... there are several good ones run by texas tech (including Lubbock Lake) so at least they don't have to travel very far.

The summer classes are a different subject weekly... things like ecology, map making, learning about & making primitive tools, learning about the first pioneers as well as native americans and learning about indigenous instruments & creating their own. I know they do some digs with the kids as well, but I'm not sure what ages those are for.

Man, we had lousy field trips compared to yours. We went to San Jacinto (near here) and stood in the weeds to see where Texas won its independence. We went to Washington-on-the-Brazos and stood in the weeds and bugs to see where Texas had its first capitol. We went to the sugar plant, where I got sick because the smell of the sugar was too sweet (I have weird, non-standard responses to many smells other people like). We went to a Japanese restaurant for lunch once but I couldn't eat because I'm deathly allergic to seafood. We went to the art museum ONCE and I loved that! We went to the un-air-conditioned Hogg plantation. And I think that's about it. Not particularly great memories except for the art museum.

Oh! In 5th grade, we went to the school district's indoor pool facilities where we all learned took swimming lessons. I enjoyed that except for the whole "changing clothes in front of your peers for the first time" part. :|