Dazzling Double Rainbows

We had a spring storm pass through here a day or so ago, and it brought with it the most amazing colors in the sky.  With the storm, came some very heavy winds, along with hail mixed with rain.  The kids were on their way home from town and were crossing the Pend O'Reille River and saw a scary sight.  They saw a cloud shaped like a V dip down and almost make contact with the water, before it lifted back up.  It was quite a storm!  In fact, the high winds were the worst part.  The tall pine trees are very top heavy, and with any kind of heavy wind, it can cause the tops to bend over, snap and break. 

While the kids were making their way home cautiously, they did see one tree snap in front of them, but thankfully it did not cross the road.  They did make it home safe without any trouble.

However, back here at home, our power had gone out almost immediately when the storm began, and it stayed off for a long time, in fact, it took the power company until 2 in the morning to get it back up and running . A downed tree had caused the power outage. 

Here are a few of the pictures I was able to take of the storm, and the magnificent colors in the sky afterwards:

After the storm had passed, the sky turned this purplish-blue color, and I looked outside wondering if a rainbow would show up.  I was on the telephone with a close friend, and she probably had to cover her ears when I spotted this rainbow in the sky!

The kids and I ran to the side door of the house, and this rainbow was SO big, you could not fit it completely into the view of the camera! We backed up as far as we could, and still... the rainbow was so large, it spanned such a great distance, that you could not fit the end to end of it into the viewer of the camera!

See how the end of the rainbow seems to be on the far right tree, turning the tree trunk into a rainbow of colors ! Wow!

It wasn't long until we spotted the second rainbow appearing, very faintly in the distance.  The first rainbow was huge!  It was the widest rainbow I'd ever seen.  Most I've seen are faint, and rather skinny, but this one was huge, and then the second rainbow next to it formed quickly.

Still trying to fit the entire rainbow into my camera... just not possible... but you get the idea!

A handful of the hail that came down out of the sky in a sort of cold fury!

After the storm had passed, the ground temperature was warmer than the cool air that had moved in, thus creating this mist rising from the ground to meet the cold air, causing the world to have a dreamy, misty glow after the fury of the storm had passed.  I decided to jump into the car with my camera, and take some more pictures from different horizons of the colors left behind from the storm.

It was getting dusk, but the skies were still billowing out their magnificent display of colors.

A rear view shot of the colors in the sky behind me, mixed with the raindrops left behind on my rear view mirror. 

The purplish-peach colored clouds overshadowing a home in the valley. 

What a riot of beautiful colors!

One lone stalwart tree against the backdrop of Hoo Doo Mountain.

You can see the mist from the warm ground rising to meet the colder air off the ground in the mountains.

Dusk was beginning to move in quickly, and the colors were fading fast.  My camera was trying its best to keep up with my demands for more pictures!

I rounded a corner, and saw why we had no power... a downed tree over the power line.  The fire truck was parked close by to warn oncoming traffic of the danger ahead.

Running out of daylight, there were still a few magnificent shots ahead...

Mount Spokane in the distance overshadowed by heavy clouds.  

A whole herd of deer crossed over the road in front of me.  When they saw me slowing to get a picture they dashed off into the meadow, their white tails waving and flashing as they ran.

 The best shot I was able to get at this distance, with Mount Spokane in the far background, and the sporting, frolicking deer in the open meadow, now completely ignoring me and my flashing camera!

When I got home, this is what awaited me... old fashioned lanterns being pulled out of their dusty storage and being put to good use.  Still no electricity. 

The sickly sweet smell of the lamp oil in the lanterns soon filled the house.  The oil lamps burned bright with soft shadows blinking on the ceilings. 

We also pulled out some new more modern lanterns that were battery powered.  Their light hurt my eyes.  You couldn't look directly at this lantern, for if you looked away, all you could see were bright and black spots in front of your eyes!  These are very very bright lanterns!

A comparison of the two.  The difference is oh so vast.  Soft shadows were made by the oil lantern, while bright light that hurt your eyes streamed out from the battery powered lantern. 

We spent the rest of the evening with our lanterns in the living room.  Each of us grabbed a book and began to quietly read together.  It was a taste of what it was like to live without electricity.  Taking a lantern with you to go down the hall to the rest room.  Walking in to a room, and instinctively reaching for the light switch, and then realizing it didn't work.  Opening the refrigerator door to find it dark inside. 

The kids and I talked about what it would feel like to live this way all the time.  Made for very interesting conversation!  It was a wonderful evening that we spent together. 

We went to bed in complete darkness. Not even the moon was out.  It was very still and quiet... and nice!

When the electricity came on at 2 in the morning, it startled me, when everything went to beeping and humming.  No more quiet darkness, but night lights and alarm clocks blinking, and outdoor lights beaming. 

It was nice while it lasted!  The blazing colors in the skies, coupled with the two magnificent rainbows, and the quiet evening spent with  my children after the gusty storm had blown through was wonderful. 

Perhaps there is a lesson in this? Even in the storms, there is a certain wild beauty and joy that can come forth after the storm passes.  A good lesson to ponder!