You've been ... Thunderstruck!

I just came down from the roof. I initially went up to see if I could see the outgoing artillery (we could hear it in the COC here ... it sounds like too-close thunder). The arty battery is about 500 meters away.

It was an incredible sight up there. The sun had just set, but there was still a glow on the horizon. A thunderstorm was brewing out to the west, with huge cumulus clouds and a little lightning. The wind had kicked up, driven by the front coming through, and there was sand swirling in the air. And then, every 15 or so seconds, BOOM ... the arty added its own voice to the coming storm. You could hear the telltale zooooom of the outgoing 96-lb projectile, and you could see, for just a second or two, bits of powder burning on the back end of the round as it screamed towards its target. Seconds later, the muffled CRASH of the impact, far away. With the thunder, wind, and lightning, it was almost as if -- God, Mother Nature, the Earth, whoever -- were trying to add their fury to our battle.

It was very surreal, and I was glad to be able to see that curious intersection of the potential wrath of man and nature. (and also glad that I wasn't on the receiving end!)