Yikes

[SeaCat]

This afternoon I went out to do some work on the bike. Nothing special. I just wanted to clean the windshield, check the oil and start making the frame for the new lens for the brake light on the cargo box. (I can't just buy the lens. The company that made the box shut down a couple of years ago.)

I turned on the radio in the storage closet, lit a cigar and started in. As I was doing this the rain started falling lightly. Off in the distance the thunder was muttering, letting me know the afternoon store was on it's way. I had finished the widshield and checked the oil when my wife came out carrying two large mugs of coffee. She had just set them down when all hell blasted us.

There was an incredibly bright flash accompanied by noise. I'm not saying a blast of noise or even a sharp noise. This was so loud and overwhelming it can only be described as noise. I was blinded and deaf as well as completely stunned. When I could see again I checked on my wife who was standing there, she was okay. Then I noticed a couple of things. I couldn't hear shit and the power was out. (All of the lights were off.)

AS my hearing started coming back I could hear the car alarms screaming, drowning out the radio behind me. I guided my wife to the overturned bucket I use as a seat when I'm working out there and had her sit as I asked her if she was okay. It took her a minute to start focusing on me then she admitted to being okay.

The light show was starting in earnest and we could see a wall of rain heading in our direction so I reached into the storage area and pulled out the two folding chairs we keep in there. (We toss them in the back of the car when we go to things like fireworks.) I set them up as my wife dashed inside for the Carafe of Coffee and some more of her creamer. She took the extra minute to check on the cats before coming back out. She returned just before the rain hit.

We sat out there in the carport relaxing and watching the light show while listening to the radio. The lightening and the thunder came at an incredible rate as we watched and chatted. We even got to watch some humor as our neighbors came dashing out to shut down their car alarms each time the thunder set them off.

The only thing I can figure for that first blast was the Draw Bridge down the road a bit must have been up and been struck.

Cat

 

[rgraham666]

Had that happen twice in my life.

First when I was about twelve. Was getting undressed in my room when a horizontal bolt went past my window with that noise you described.

Across the street was a ditch with the walls held up with sandbags. Next morning I found a pan sizes hole blown in them.

The other time I was sitting at my computer when I got the light and noise. I recall thinking, "Did they start WWIII without telling me?"

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Had that happen twice in my life.

First when I was about twelve. Was getting undressed in my room when a horizontal bolt went past my window with that noise you described.

Across the street was a ditch with the walls held up with sandbags. Next morning I found a pan sizes hole blown in them.

The other time I was sitting at my computer when I got the light and noise. I recall thinking, "Did they start WWIII without telling me?"

Closest we ever got was back in college when lightning struck a power pole one street over from us. I recall it making a gigantic "GAZORG!" and all the lights on our end of campus going out.

 

[shereads]

Exploding cigar?

 

[Guest]

Exploding cigar?

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

 

[shereads]

Seriously, Cat, it sounds as if you had a close call. You feeling okay tonight?

 

[john-the-author]

Had something like that happen at my house in Seattle in early 2000, when a huge lightning storm (uncommon for the city) was dancing around. I'd had the uncommon good sense to unplug everything even vaguely electronic from the wall. About an hour later, lightning hit the step-down transformer 100' from my house. BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG fireball of PCB-laden oil as the xformer bit the big one.

I wasn't the only house with this problem. In fact, Seattle City Light replaced 612 other transformers before they got to mine 4-1/2 days later. I kept the fridge shut tight and only went into occasionally, showered at the gym, and read myself to sleep by candlelight. It was... different.