Last night I had taken the dogs to the new Memorial Park here in Sugar Land and a a storm blew in as I pulled in the parking lot. Last night the skies were clear to the west and the sun had an hour or so before sitting as I drove basically west. But when I turned around at the park I could see what was just overhead. Heavy rain in that area but we came on back home after a couple of errands and the pavement had even dried off. So I expected much the same for tonight.

I should have known something wasn't right when Lucy was hesitant to run a straight line to the lake as she usually does. Yeah this time I drove the 15 miles north to the Millie Bush Bark Park and could see the clouds to the north but I thought it would blow over or miss us entirely.

They got some play time in before all hell broke loose. All the while, a visible sun setting in the west.

They don't mind the rain so much but continuous thunder got on all our nerves.

It was still warm and humid and the rain and water felt so good but we took shelter.

Yeah that's right. Like a big dumb cow I stood under a canvas supported with metal poles in a lightning and rain storm. The wind turned cold and started gusting (I would learn when I got home that the area had 60 mpg gusts). I would embarrass myself by screaming when a sheet of cold rain would hit my back. Striking more fear in my girls and the one other fool sharing the pitiful shelter with me and her 3 Irish Sitters. When she noticed her dogs all had their tail between their legs she said she was making a run for it. WHAT? She was in pretty good shape and I didn't look forward to trying to run over a 100 yards to the gate and then to my truck. But the fact I could see the sun setting was encouragement no matter what was over head so run we did.

What was that? The thunder was horrendous but the rain was letting up some once we got inside and attempted to dry off.

While I was still in my lapse of good judgement I thought we would get out and go back in the park. But decided since the skies to the north and east still looked wicked.

So we sat there and I admired the setting sun.

Then I left the park and drove less than 2 miles when hail started coming down and I could feel wind rocking my truck. At the first chance, I pulled into a strip shopping center and under their canopy with one tire up on the sidewalk. Hell pick a spot, several were doing the same. Luckily the center was closed. So we sat here till the sun set and the rain let up again.

On the drive back home on Hwy 6 many of the traffic lights were out and it was bumper to bumper much of the way. Got home a bit after 9:00 PM and stripped off and dried the dogs. No more evening treks out for a while.