Here comes the storm

Last night there were thunderstorms rolling past Grand Portage just to the north.  We had the rare treat of being able to watch the lightning without any real concern for getting caught in a downpour of rain.  

My crazy cousin and I were out driving around until 2:00 AM watching the storms from different vantage points.  Our favorite spot of the night was this location overlooking Teal Lake.  I don't even remember how we got on the subject but as we sat in the car watching the lightning we were listening to The Doors on the car stereo. The first song we listened to was "The End", a 12 minute "psychedelic rock epic" according to Rolling Stone magazine.  Over the years I've listened to this song countless times but as seems to be happening lately the lyrics at the beginning of the song really struck a chord with me.  In the case of "The End", it goes like this:

This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend
The end

Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes again

It's odd how these songs are popping up in my life these past couple of weeks.  After listening to The End by The Doors we listened to another one that has resonated with me recently, Eye of the Storm by Godsmack:

Whistle blow down spirit, you're crawling in the middle
Don't you point your finger at my face
'Cause every bad decision that you made you're living with
And everyone else is to blame, here we go

In the eye of the storm I make my stand
But I'm not waiting for the walls to close in
I just brace myself for the winds to change their ways
In the eye of the storm I'm making my stand

Anyway it was cool to connect with my elder cousin as we sat there and shared this music while watching flashes and bolts of lightning dance across the sky.  After a while I got out of the car and set up my camera to try and capture the show.  I was able to catch one good blast of lightning on the far side of the lake and somehow it seemed to be the perfect image to go along with the mood and feel of the music we had been listening to.