Liftoff!

...then, the shuttle actually takes off in an explosion of light and smoke. A fiery plume heading to the heavens, leaving behind a trail of smoke and vapor, that a minute later, is the only indication of something having taken place.
The sound, takes an eerily long time to make it's presence known and is something spectacular in it's own right. A rumble that starts coming towards you like an unstoppable wave heading to the shore, then crashing down without exception on all that stands in it's way.

I think it was the difference in cloud cover, but this launch was not as spectacular as the previous one. That day, the low hanging cloud cover reflected the light back and made for some pretty spectacular stuff!
www.flickr.com/photos/psykojello/sets/72157605945584419/
Still, i didn't have a camera then, so this will have to do till i get another chance :)