Tornado AZ

What a day this has been!!!


I am OK??   quite rattled!!  I have welts and bruises on my legs due to hail the size of VERY large cherries!   I had just arrived at Jeff and Christina's to try and get in and take photos of their new home in progress....when it hit!!   I tucked into a corner of the exterior of the house, crouched down and boy did I pray!!!!    After the hail stopped and turned to torrential downpour...I covered the camera as best I could with my tank top!!!  and ran to the truck...that thank goodness was still standing on all four tires...I'm not even exaggerating!!!  

I drove in a panic..until trees fell blocking the road 4-6 meters in front of me!!!  I stopped!... pulled over to wait it out.....but then the Tornado warning came over the radio...the scariest thing I have ever heard!! ..... The radio informed me that I, with all  others on the road, had to get to the nearest building immediately!!!,  get to a corner, and wait until it is over!!   

I stopped twice on the way to my safe place to take photos...My brother asked "What is wrong with you, how could you worry about a photo at that time?"  Something inside me had to stop and take that photo, perhaps if I hadn't I would have been crushed by a tree, or in the eye of the storm....after all everything happens for a reason!!!!!!

When the warning was over - 15min later (it felt like an hour), after watching at least 14 trees crack and break in the parking lot, hitting vehicles, we were able to get back in our cars and go straight home!!  I was shocked at the value of material objects in that moment...as trees fell and struck trucks, men and women yelled...men cause they "were angry...look what happened to my baby!", women because "what will my husband say??"...We were safe!!!!! The storm hadn't 'touched' us!!!


When I arrived home, I had no power...to top it all off....this is the first visit to AZ without my amazing husband.  So besides the fact I'm missing him terribly, I am drinking horrible coffee every morning (because Ted always makes my coffee), eating like a bachelor, and getting lost all over Arizona, this is my day....it has been an interesting one!

But....A very good thing happened today!!   I got my new camera!!!  I can't wait to open it up and play...However, I'm glad I did not take it into the storm!

The power is back on for the time being which is nice....I guess it is cold salmon and cheese for dinner as I am exhausted and I'm not sure if the neighbourhood pub will have power?!!

This is Jeff & Christina's absolutely stunning new home!!!! 

This is what I saw before the storm!!!!!!  Should I have known??

Then the wind came...the sand swirled and I had to duck into a safe corner...I will take a picture of my 'favourite' corner tomorrow!, when I return to get photos of their beautiful home!!!

I wish you could have witnessed, it looks like snowflakes in this photo!  Instead of small balls of ice!  

RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES!!!!!

The next few are in the parking lot of the gas station..

It seems so mild in these photos!!!

The glowing peace of fear!!!

Our back yard!!!