Thirty-two years ago on this day, a majestic snow-capped peak north of Portland, Ore., blew its top. It was on the morning of May 18, 1980 at 8:32 a.m. PT when Mt. St. Helens violently erupted, destroying pristine forests, devastating the Toutle River, and killing 57 people. I was five years old at the time, but I do remember standing by the S.E. 10th Street overpass near I-205, watching to the north the ominous plume towering in the horizon.  I didn’t take any photos, nor did I have a camera then. I was five at the time.

The memories would return, and it was not an anniversary date. In September 2004, a swarm of earthquakes rumbled in the throat of the volcano. On October 1, 2004, as I arrived at Windy Ridge near the volcano, she erupted for the first time in over a decade. I had front row seats for this one and that’s the photo I shot of it above. Over the course of four years, she formed a new lava dome next to the existing dome.

Mt. St. Helens may have blown her top, but other local volcanoes are ticking time bombs. Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, and Newberry Crater are just a few that could go boom some day.

You are looking at a McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwich, partially disassembled, of course. You can get this dinky piece of fish with half of a slice of cheese and a dab of tartar sauce on a bland bun for a mere $3.39 (price varies by store).  The cost of the sandwich has gone up over the past few months, but looking at the cheese and tartar sauce, it appears McDonald’s is favoring to charge more for less product. I’m not lovin’ it, and neither is my wallet.

The full moon tonight, known as “super moon,” rises above Portland, Oregon, on the night of May 5, 2012.  The images I shot were taken from Council Crest, around the 900-foot elevation in southwest Portland. Many people drove up to Council Crest tonight to watch the moonrise and take photographs.  The moon didn’t appear until shortly after 9:00 p.m. because of the clouds to the east. Fortunately, it wasn’t raining.

Apparently, a car alarm’s panic horn button also make for a great cat repellent, as this video demonstrates.

The National Weather Service is forecasting 40% chance of thunderstorms in the Portland area for Monday afternoon. My hopes for thunderstorms in Portland diminishes, so I head out towards The Dalles and hope to capture some storm photographs and videos.

While driving on I-84 and approaching The Dalles, the storm is producing frequent lightning and rain, but no real good place to stop on the shoulder. On U.S. 197 south of The Dalles where the view is much better at a higher elevation, the storm weakens and then collapses, and the lightning dies off.

Sadly, I return home without a image or video of the lightning, but the images of the clouds and the setting sun will have to do. The thing about photographing the weather is you have to sometimes settle for what nature gives you. I’m fine with that.

Did a thunderstorm produce in Portland on Monday? The favorite went to the 60% chance of no storms, so no storms for Portland on Monday.