by Just Rodney

Created on: May 29, 2008

The thunderstorm indeed was brewing behind that weather-beaten outcrop of rocks, this was when I experienced my favorite memory, and it was indeed the best cloud shape that I had ever seen. I now speculate if I would see something as impressive again, but as I love taking photographs of clouds at sunset, I am sure that one day I will.

The late afternoon sun was veiled behind a swirling mass of clouds (Cumulus Nimbus), a swirling mass of colors wide-ranging from almost white through the musty grey range into that weighty malicious almost black, had been blown to the shore from the ocean. The clouds were being swirled and tumbled around by the air turbulence that was created upon reaching the rising warm air of the land mass. These clouds were not one solid bank as I first thought but masses individual layers at different distances apart, now apparently massing together and every now and then pockets of pale blue would be still be visible.

Those craggy rocks across the stretch of the river of the lagoon were now bitumen black, the silhouette, which was highlighted with a burning bright golden edge. Halfway down the length of this golden craggy outcrop there rose up from the rocks an immense dark ominous form that one would have thought this was indeed a dreamscape that could have indeed painted by the likes of Salvador Dali. Though this greatness was one created by Mother Nature, in all her glory.

The late afternoon sun sunk behind that bank of storm clouds, and now proceeded to add reds, gold's and vibrant living yellows to that vast vault of clouds. It was as if one of those mythical creatures arose from the sea, which had a bright red heart, which pulsed, light red and dark red, as the clouds shifted and moved, an immense body, some 5 meters high, that rose up with wide outstretched wings, which spanned twice as long as its body, was twisted in flight as it launched itself from the inky black rock.

A veritable phoenix rising or mythical medieval dragon, was etched and outlined in splashed with patches of colors ranged from pinkish red to glowing gold, the wind shifted and the creature seemed to turn and twist, with the movement of the cloud mass, its malevolent red heart stopped its glowing and slowly the inky blackness enveloped and spread over the entire vista, as the bolts off lightning flashed streaking across the sky striking the sea, and flew from cloud to cloud, this pyrotechnic display finally put an end to that brief image of that wondrous mythical beast, was now finally slain? The deafening drum roll of thunder accompanied the beasts death knell.

I was left standing there in absolute awe at the beauty of that imagery that I had witnessed. Left only with those memories and the feeling of how small we are.

This occurred, several years ago, and was a very valuable lesson for me, namely to make sure that I always carry an extra spare battery and smart card for my digital cameras. As, all this was lost, unrecorded, except in my memories.

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