we tend to forget that we live alongside the elements of nature inside a big fishbowl called earth.

as one hurricane bearing down one area half a world away from where i am now, i still remember like it was yesterday when i once was caught in the middle of a tornadic area in the state i used to live. a tornado happens when a cold front with cold air clash with a warm front resulting a disturbance in the area which could sweep and kill everything on its path.

usually, on the weekends, i drove out of the city to visit small towns or nature parks with only a highway map as my guide and, of course, my camera. i loved hunting pictures in farming areas.

it was a clear saturday afternoon when i reached a small farming town of only 383 people two hours from the city and spent time to take some shots there. i was, literally, in the middle of nowhere when all of the sudden, the hazy sky turned black and the slow breeze became a cold windswept. as i turned my head backwards, the tall thick black clouds were heading my way fast. in seconds, the beautiful surroundings became so eerie and spooky. it scared me to death. yet, the last ray of the sun before it was blanketed by the dark clouds was so heavenly beautiful.

i couldn't think anything else except driving my car as fast as i could through the heavy rain and hail falling seconds after i took my last shot of the light. now, as i remember that moment, i think i was crazy enough to shoot that last picture as they could be some prescious seconds to save my life from -- lightings.

i drove and drove and could care less to where i was going to. and felt really fortunate when minutes later the wind and rain died down. yet, i couldn't force my eyes to see what happened behind me. the tall dark clouds was enough to make me scared. it turned out a tornado touched down just outside the small town i drove by minutes earlier. phhewww...

the picture above reminds me of the beautiful light just seconds before it engulfed by the dark clouds of a nature phenomenon.