1: I grew up in the plains in western Iowa.  Something I really miss when I hear about a storm coming: I have to wait for it, and then it happens.  I can watch it on TV, of course.  The thing about living out on the plains was that you could see hours ahead that the storm was on its way.  You knew it was happening, and you would even see lightning out in the distance.  So you knew what to expect.  Something you just don’t get over in eastern Iowa.  It just doesn’t happen.

[Is that because of all of the trees or houses in the way?]

A lot of it is trees and houses, yeah. You need a horizon.

2: When I was living in Virginia, the governor’s daughter was out on the beach with metal rollers in her hair, and she was killed by lightning.

Well trees, their roots go down into the water—the damper soil.  Electricity is attracted to dampness so that’s why trees are popular.