Day 5: Happiness is:

Hummingbird's at the feeder.

Taken in 2008

Stopping on a drive to take photos, just because it looks cool.

 Having a grasshopper visit you in your car. And getting to takes pictures of said grasshopper.

Letting the dogs run and play in the backyard.

Happiness is having a beautiful day on a Monday when you don't have to go to work.  It is seeing places that you have never seen before. It is enjoying the things that you do everyday. Happiness is taking time to see the beauty and joy in the world. 

 When you are lucky, you have your camera in your hand and you actually capture the moment; in focus and with the right exposure. 

What a great way to start the week.

Summer Storm

We heard the thunder in the distance. Above and to the west the sky was still clear.
Thunder rolled again.
I went out with my camera. To the south the sky was dark. A swath of storm clouds crossed the bay moving north and east.
You could hear the thunder roll through the cloud line from east to west and then back again. Then the could filled with lightening and the thunder rolled.
As we listened we could hear the rain pouring down on the bay.
We sat dry watching and listening, waiting to see if we would get wet.

The first drops began to fall big and bold; harbingers of what was on its way.

I ran to the house and just as I reached the door, the storm was over us in earnest. A heavy rain, then hail, then a blinding downpour.

It took as long for the storm to arrive as it did for it to come to an end.
All that was left in moments was this memory.