Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Stormy Monday


A powerful storm definitely makes one appreciate the idea of permanent shelter. Last night, an electric storm with strong wind gusts and frequent cloud to ground lightning, slipped into Terlingua Ranch after looming in the distant mountains for awhile. Storms are common in July and August, but more rare in May, which is typically a dry month. I took shelter in my car, which I am told is one of the safest places to be in a lightning storm. I have recently learned that the dome structure, once complete, will be an incredibly safe haven for storms. The web of steel bars acts as a force field, absorbing the electric current from a strike. A dome also redirects strong winds around it rather than at it. Round houses, like aerodynamic cars, have much higher wind resistance than flat or square houses. Traditional square houses can sometime lose the battle when the wolf huffs and puffs. Earthquakes ? Round houses win there, too. Over time, a dome becomes structurally stronger and stronger because it compacts upon itself in all directions.

Overall, this has been a rather wet year for this region. Vegetation is very green and many desert flowers are in bloom .

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Trev: I'm glad you're safe - you need to send this photo in - it is so good!! Love, Mom

trevor.reichman said...

send it in to who ?

Anonymous said...

A Newspaper i.e. The Chronicle.