thunder moon

They call the July full moon the Thunder Moon. I don't know about other parts of the world, but for Taos, it's the perfect name. We're in the thick of monsoon season, with big, dark, noisy clouds rolling in almost every afternoon, and flashing, crashing, drenching light shows almost every evening. I don't love this season as much as a lot of people do. I prefer summer evenings to be warm and dry and spent outside by the campfire. But every now and then these storms coordinate themselves into the most dramatic, beautiful spectacles of nature imaginable. Like last night, when the sun was setting, the wind was blowing, the sky was dark and thunderous, rain was falling in huge, fat drops, and a double rainbow popped in to join the party. Not knowing where to look, I took a quick series of pictures all across the yard and stitched them together for you here. This is what I see from my front door...

(click the photo for a bigger view)


Later on there was a break in the clouds, and we did get to see the July Thunder Moon. Yes, sometime I wonder why we want to leave this place, but that's another story...