Orange Haze

Most mornings I wake up to this.

Last Wednesday we woke up to this. It looks like a foggy morning but instead it was dust and sand.
Once the wind died down it took another day and a half for all the dust to finally settle. We started to see blue sky again Friday afternoon.

The boys and I had an inside day full of movies, Legos both actual and virtual, and extended story time. Later that night I found the bathtub full of sand. This was way more than I find after bathing the boys but it was our shower and not theirs. Chris had rinsed the bike helmet he had worn to work during the storm and the sand inside completely covered the bottom of the tub.

I just left the natural disaster mecca of Alaska-Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Blizzards, Avalanches, Chinooks, and Tsunamis (did I forget anything?) for nature's most violent and unpredictable phenomena that occurs just outside the real Mecca.

At least ours wasn't as bad as this.

(A wall of sand approaching in Iraq.)

Dust storms are among nature's most violent and unpredictable phenomena. High winds lift dirt particles or, in the case of sandstorms, sand, into the air, unleashing a turbulent, suffocating cloud of particulates and reducing visibility to almost nothing in a matter of seconds. Nearly all dust storms are capable of causing property damage, injuries, and deaths, and while they are most commonly associated with the Sahara and Gobi desert regions, they can occur in any arid or semi-arid climate. No matter where you live, it's a good idea to know what to do if you see a wall of sand racing toward you.

Tip #1 Try and out run the storm.

Tip #2 Wear a mask and stay hydrated.

Yeah, if I saw that coming I would seriously want to hightail it outta there. Just looking at it makes me feel like I'm suffocating.