It's hard to believe what happened on my first day of blogging. But this is a true story...
Central New Mexico. We visited an old Spanish church at an Indian pueblo, built in the 1600's. It is easy here to imagine yourself far away in time and place from the drab uniformity of modern America. Why, we might as well be watching the movie, El Cid, with Charlton and Sophia. Other than the Fortress of old Quebec City, where can you experience anything like this in North America?
This fine old church was starting to redeem a day that had not started too well. We found plenty of fine, high-altitude land and beautiful old ruins. But there was barely a grocery store to be found--or a wireless internet signal.
So we continued on our way to the old imperial outpost of Santa Fe. Halfway between Albuquerque and Santa Fe I suddenly realized that my worries about staying high were over. I hadn't checked the weather this morning because there was no internet. So it was pure pleasure to watch a thunderstorm develop. Ahh... clouds! I love them more than anything.
But the look of this storm brought back some memories. You see, the West has the best climate in America, and the most boring weather. But today's weather reminded me of storms back in the midwest. The furthest clouds were like a featureless, grey sheet. Rain, no doubt.
The nearest clouds were distinctly separate and lower. No rain here. Then I saw motorists stopping on both sides of the road. I glanced out my window and saw this:
A twister! I had lived in Tornado Alley for twenty years in my youth, and had only seen one scrawny, funnel-shaped cloud that never touched ground. This tornado was raising a dust cloud, but it was unpopulated land fortunately.
What was that old quote from Virgil's Aeneid? 'With chances various, through all vicissitudes, we make our way.'
Central New Mexico. We visited an old Spanish church at an Indian pueblo, built in the 1600's. It is easy here to imagine yourself far away in time and place from the drab uniformity of modern America. Why, we might as well be watching the movie, El Cid, with Charlton and Sophia. Other than the Fortress of old Quebec City, where can you experience anything like this in North America?
This fine old church was starting to redeem a day that had not started too well. We found plenty of fine, high-altitude land and beautiful old ruins. But there was barely a grocery store to be found--or a wireless internet signal.
So we continued on our way to the old imperial outpost of Santa Fe. Halfway between Albuquerque and Santa Fe I suddenly realized that my worries about staying high were over. I hadn't checked the weather this morning because there was no internet. So it was pure pleasure to watch a thunderstorm develop. Ahh... clouds! I love them more than anything.
But the look of this storm brought back some memories. You see, the West has the best climate in America, and the most boring weather. But today's weather reminded me of storms back in the midwest. The furthest clouds were like a featureless, grey sheet. Rain, no doubt.
The nearest clouds were distinctly separate and lower. No rain here. Then I saw motorists stopping on both sides of the road. I glanced out my window and saw this:
A twister! I had lived in Tornado Alley for twenty years in my youth, and had only seen one scrawny, funnel-shaped cloud that never touched ground. This tornado was raising a dust cloud, but it was unpopulated land fortunately.
What was that old quote from Virgil's Aeneid? 'With chances various, through all vicissitudes, we make our way.'
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