*From my journal, March 15, 2024:

Flashes of light.  Distant rumbling.  Songbirds singing.  An eery reddish/pink light at sunrise through the mesh of my tent fly.  My first thunderstorm of 2024!  Unexpected.  Not in the forecast.

Plans get derailed.  When camping and living outside, I know it’s going to get messy.  I accept it.  This is what I’ve been waiting for:  raindrops!  Rain comes down in buckets.  The compacted gravel of my campsite pad may as well be a swimming pool with my tent floating in the middle!  Nothing is draining and I worry about when the water will begin to infiltrate my tiny tent.

The storm softens and eventually lets up.  Periods of lighter drizzle tempt me.  Soon enough, I’m wading in nearby creeks and accumulating photographs.  It’s wet, muddy, and beautiful!  These are the frames that I will likely cherish a few weeks from now when I’m behind the computer.  Being on location through a storm is the only way to capture the jewels that are only available in the tight window just after.

I sit in a zero gravity chair back at camp, my feet up and my head reclined.  Warm sun is on my face.  The storm in the rearview.  I should hustle up another location.  Not tonight.  Tonight I want to relax, eat, rest, and read.  I’ll hit it again tomorrow.  For now, I’m grateful for another productive day.  And fingers crossed for a few keepers on the cards.

Camera:  Canon 5DSr
Lens:  Canon MP-E 65mm

Date taken:  March 15, 2024
Settings:  f14, 1/250 second, iso 100