my shelfcloud memory (photo above).
shelfclouds are cool.
these things lead into a thunderstorm or any type of storm. i have a distinct memory of a shelfcloud when i was a kid.
4th of july (the best day of the year, imho, growing up in kansas where blowing shit up was legal for the most of my youth)… we went out to a friend’s relative’s house way out past Warnal Rd. the house was on a ranch-style open field.
we split into 2 teams of 7 or 8 kids each. we were from 10yrs to 16yrs. this puts us at 1982-83. we each had our bags of fireworks. we had bottle rockets, parachutes (yes, this plays a role in the story), roman candles, and tons of other crazy shit.
both groups separated by roughly 50ft or so and we set up a base. there was a ton of cow crap, which was perfect to set rockets, the 21 gun salute box, or anything really, in it. 
we set up and starting lighting them up and firing them at each other. it was so insane (as a parent i’m cringing writing this). it was also my first time doing this, really. so i didn’t know what i was doing (not like there is a good way to do this); i picked up a parachute … not smart. as i held it it exploded and the bottom plastic casing shot all the way down my forearm taking my skin with it. ouch. lots of adrenaline helped.
then the shelfcloud. so memorable. it was HUGE. it was across the whole horizon. we were out there for 10mins or so, saw the shelfcloud and over the next 20mins it just came all the way over us. super dark. super ominous. as it came over it just poured. we were done after that.
quite a memory.
