One particularly nice afternoon, we decided to have a family picnic on the east side of Straddie, where the beach stretches for miles against the open ocean. On the radio we heard a severe storm warning - typical of Queensland afternoons - but it was too far south for us to have to worry about. We piled into the four wheel drive, and made the two trips needed to chauffeur everyone to the beach. We arrived to this beautiful, blue-sky afternoon:
Yet, minutes later, when we looked down the beach, we saw storm clouds and rain. When trucks began driving up the beach and toward the exit with their lights on, we got mildly concerned for our afternoon of swimming and playing catch. In the ten minutes it took for us to realise that the storm was not headed out to sea, as we had hoped, but rather was coming straight for us, the sky had darkened to black. To my left, it was daytime. To my right, it was night.
When the thunder and bolts of lightening began, even the Aussies were concerned. There was no way that we were going to be able to make the two trips needed to get everyone off the beach safely. So, my family-in-law made a decision that would make my Barry family proud. Into the car piled the grandparents, parents, three daughters, and two dogs. The two boys and a girl that were left over hopped on the running boards, and we were off. It only took us a few minutes to get off the beach, heavy as we were, but the storm kept up with us - in fact, it was moving faster than we could drive.
The best part? By the time we were home and settled on the porch with a drink, a rainbow was out. And they say that New England as spastic weather.
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| Beautiful end to the storm |
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| Holding on tight (note the beer in hand!) |
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