Father’s Day Gift Idea: Blown Away by Greg Johnson

Posted by Sheri Landry on May 28, 2012 ~

Storms both scare and fascinate me at the same time. When storms hit, my fear takes priority though and I can be found in the basement of our house during any type of bad weather. Also in regards to storms, Greg Johnson (known everywhere as The Tornado Hunter) and I are polar opposites. While I am cowering somewhere underground, he is out chasing down his passion and it shows in his first book titled ‘Blown Away: A year through the lens of The Tornado Hunter’.

In Blown Away, Greg gives his readers a rare look at the beauty behind the beast. The book is packed with photos that Greg took himself. He is an amazing photographer and his book captures moments in time before, during and after storms strike all over the US and in Canada (specifically Saskatchewan).

My favorite shot was a severe lightning strike captured in Pense, Saskatchewan that he captured in 2011 as it struck from the sky down to the ground maybe a mile away from his location. You can find it on his website under the Photos tab, then under ‘Favorite Photos 2011′.

Beyond the photos, this book educates as it entertains. Greg shares his accounts of events as they happened and you feel like you are out there as part of his team. Also, throughout the pages are definitions of some terms that you may not readily know. Anyone know what ‘derechos’ are? On other pages in the notes section, Greg shares his favorite tunes for driving.

This book makes my list for Father’s Day gifts for all of the above reasons and because, really, what dad isn’t interested in the weather. I know numerous dads who choose to have the weather channel on while they go about their daily activities. This is also a great book for dads who have an interest in history. Storms are exciting, they are random and they can be fierce. A storm can last for mere minutes and leave a lifetime impression. I know, I now live in Edmonton and no one who was here on July 31, 1987 will ever forget the tornado that was responsible for what Edmontonians (and surrounding areas) now call ‘Black Friday’.

Blown Away is available at Walmart and at Relay stores in airports across Canada. You can also buy Blown Away online at Chapters/Indigo.

GIVEAWAY: One lucky This Bird’s Day reader will win a First Edition copy of Blown Away SIGNED by Greg himself.

To enter: Leave a comment below telling me who you would give this too (or if you would keep it for yourself).

Please leave a way of contacting you should your comment be chosen. *You must do this for any additional entries to count.

After you have completed the first entry, you can enter an additional comment one time for each of the following:

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CAD Only – Enter to win a First Edition copy of Blown Away SIGNED by @canadogreg on @ThisBirdsDay at http://www.thisbirdsday.com/?p=5126

This contest is open to residents of Canada only and runs until 9pm MST on Saturday, June 16, 2012.

Disclosure: I received Blown Away for free to complete my feature. The opinions expressed in this post are mine only and are in no way influenced by any outside factors.

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