Yesterday proved to be another continuation of 2011’s strange weather cycles.

My home base along the Lake Michigan shores gifted us with a late afternoon/early evening spectacle that was not like any I’d seen before.  I have lived near the shores of this lake for many years.  Occasionally we get Easterly winds but they are not particularly strong and usually only mean our air temperature will drop about 10 degrees.  As I sat in my western facing bedroom watching a DVD on Thursday afternoon I had no idea it was even windy.  If it was the normal wind storm from the west I would be bothered by the sound (again) of even more of my house siding crashing to the ground.  Then the electricity went out.  As I walked out my rear door I was attacked by leaves, branches and limbs.  What was strange is they were coming from the lake bank (east) and blowing west.  There was also lightning (normal) over the lake.

As I moved to the lake bank, remaining in a standing position and avoiding flying branches became difficult.  Foolish maybe but I have always had a love affair with the power and beauty of storms.  After speaking with some neighbors I learned that there had been at least one water spout or small cyclone over Lake Michigan.  I have never seen or heard of that before on an inland lake.  Maybe the strangest part of this wind and lightning storm was that not a single drop of rain ever fell.

A lot of branches, five trees, one of those trees on top of a house and a car and all is now quiet and nobody was injured.   Just another day in 2011.

I and my life has changed so no, I have no pictures to share.

Good weather to each of you.