An Arizona Tornado

I'm pretty bleary eyed this morning and so apologize for any mistakes here.  I know better, but when a nice crispy cheese quesadilla and a pulled pork taco are staring you in the face, you can't help but EAT IT!!  I did, and last night I was VERY sorry.  Or maybe it was the chicken wings.

Anyway, I woke up every hour to a terrible stomach and the rumbling vibrations of trains.  Try as I might with every trick in the book, I couldn't get my friend sleep to visit.  It's hard to get my brain to activate this morning, but I'll give it a shot.

A couple of nights ago I noticed lots of nice clouds in the sky, meaning there was going to be a beautiful sunset.  I had no idea this is what I would see through my camera lens.  I actually drove about a mile away, backed into an old dirt road and parked in the bushes so I could get good shots.

This is what showed up for my photographic pleasure.  A spectacular show of tornado-like clouds over the desert.

As I sat with the engine running, because you never know when you might need to make a quick getaway, it changed up to this amazing show of clouds and yellow orange light.  The pictures really don't do it justice.

I kept looking back to make sure no one was sneaking up behind me, to see the second sunset to the North.  

As the clouds swirled around, it got better and better until I stood there with my mouth open.  WOW!   I just love it when I'm in the right place at the right time.  Hoping not to get chomped on by a coyote or run into a rattlesnake, I watched from my car, jumping out to get these images.  

By the way, someone asked if my boots would deter snakes.  These happen to be very thick leather, so they would probably save me from a trip to the hospital.  My other boots?  Not so much.  Their fangs can go right through thin leather.

The clouds finally thinned out as the sun fell below the horizon, leaving spectacular colors in its wake.  Time to head back to the house.  No use pushing my luck in the middle of the desert in the dark.

I'm now headed to the couch with my nice hot cup of morning coffee and my puppy pillows until my stomach quiets down.  I see an afternoon nap in my future.  Until then, I've got a quilt rack to hang.