Yesterday was my ..mfhghkkslljlljll..seventh, and it rolled in with a bang. Of thunder, that is.  We live near the "rainiest city in the USA"---Hilo. It rains everyday. Sometimes only a gentle drip at night, often a quick shower during the day, and sometimes a gray, drippy, steady drizzle all day.

But RARELY do we get thunderstorms. In our two years here, we have seen only one: that was shortly after we moved here and was so scary that we wondered if we made a mistake moving here......

So, it was a surprise to be woken early in the morning (um....2am) on my birthday to a crack of thunder. Followed by a gullywasher downpour. And more lightening and thunder. It has now been more than 24 hours and the crashes and arcs of light are still going on.

We went to our monthly TGIF party (a bunch of giddy Lutherans....) last night at the home of friends who live high up the slope of Mauna Kea.  They were late answering our doorbell ring because a sudden rain of marble sized hail followed by a deluge made the rain running off their sloped (TOWARD THE HOUSE!!!) back yard puddle up near the back door, and he had to quickly dig a ditch to divert it.

This morning the sun is coming up in the east, resting in a blue sky.  But directly in front of us, out on the ocean to the north, a string of thunderclouds with the occasional flash is moving slowly toward the west.

All in all it was an interesting break in our otherwise routine weather, and we are happy to listen to the rain on the roof. We don't have to shovel it!!! 

And THAT is the perfect birthday gift!

UPDATE:  David, who lives up the hill from us reports his rain gauge measured 24.54" since Friday night......