The Past Couple Of Nights...Looking West

I thought I'd share a few of pictures I took of the sky the past couple of nights. They're not great shots, but they show some interesting colors and meteorological events.

The first was just before sunset when I actually caught the sun hovering just above the trees. Plus, all the haze from fires and such set the sky ablaze.

The next picture was one I used as my "Pic Of The Day." I remember it being more colorful when I took it, but sometimes what I see doesn't communicate well in the picture. Still, it's subtle and I like it.

Yesterday, storm clouds filled the sky most of the day and as the sun set in the west, shards of light filtered through the clouds illuminating sections of the valley below. Several years ago a co-worker talked of his love of photography. He showed us some of his personal favorites. He showed us one landscape picture and he pointed out the clouds. He said he loved photographing clouds, because without clouds, you have just a blue sky.

Summer skies can be interesting. Many times, there's no change--not a lot of rain here in the summer. But, every once in a while, the skies open up and give you a show. I've had a front-row seat the past couple of nights.

Tonight's Western Sky...And What It Said To Me

I've lived on the same street for almost forty of my fifty-four years. I grew up on the mountain, constantly looking east at the familiar rock formations, the indents carved by water runoff, the patches of scrub oak trees, the open fields of grass, the entrance to Patsy's Mine, and to top it all, Flag Rock.

But, as magnificent as those views are, they many times pale to what I see looking west, especially after a storm and the air is clean and the visibility is unobstructed.

And at sunset.

Tonight was one of those almost perfect nights. I walked out on the back porch before the colors arrived, just to take in the view. Though we're not as high as some, our vantage point is just fine. I could see the entire valley, from the Oquirrhs to the southwest to Weber County to the northwest. And Antelope Island right in the middle. With a full sky of clouds, I thought the sunset would be beautiful.

And it was.

As far as color, there's been better, but the lack of color doesn't make tonight's show any less worthy. A thought came to me as I took it all in...We are constantly surrounded by overwhelming beauty. Do we block it out? Do we ignore it? Maybe we do, because to acknowledge all the amazing things in our world would cripple us almost to inactivity.

It's not a great thought, but as I looked west tonight, into the original fireworks, the stunning views reminded me again of what is there for us to see, if we only will.

The Blue Skies Of Dusk...

Last night, as the day died, I looked to the west and saw blue skies where reds, oranges, pinks and purples usually reside. 

I wonder if much has been written about that. 

We've heard of red skies at night, a warning to those upon the seas. 

But, if the heavens are a cooled by blue clouds, should we worry? Should we seek shelter or plan for relief from the storms and tempests?

Personally, I have no idea.

But it makes for a beautiful scene across a western sky. 

And a sweet goodnight to a day of remembrance. 

The Sunsets Lately...

Ever since the Daylight Savings Time change a few weeks ago, I've been fortunate enough to be at my house when the sun sets over the island and lake west of us. If you've followed this blog or my Pic Of The Day at all, you know I'm a sucker for a good sunset picture.

Looks like nothing's changed.

I've been snapping pictures of sunsets with both cameras. I've been using several shots as my Pic Of The Day. I've not been sharing them as much as I usually do on other social media formats, mostly because I've been so busy. And because of that I thought I'd inundate you with some of what I've seen just before dusk over the past couple of weeks. 

Maybe the changing season brings on more clouds in the air. Maybe it's for other reasons, but it seems autumn has some of the best sunsets I see all year long.

And that's okay with me.

Catching The Sun...

About a week or so ago I stood on my back porch and snapped a few pictures. Due to the location of the sun, and other factors, I watched as it slowly set in the western sky. I got out the good camera with a zoom lens and caught some of the beauty blazing before me.

It turned out pretty good.

I took several shots. If the porch had been higher, or the trees lower (darn trees keep growing taller and taller...), I could have taken even better shots. But I'm okay with that I got. Each day the sun sets a little more south. It will soon disappear behind Antelope Island until finally, on the shortest day of the year, it will set almost off the island entirely.

Sunsets fascinate me. They're like the biggest work of art on the largest canvas we'll most likely ever see. Some nights are not as brilliant as others, but every inch of land, every drop in the ocean will get the chance to witness a sunset every night. It's a gift, something telling us the day is done so lay down your shovel and rest to prepare for the next day.

I've missed a lot of sunsets, but I try and take pictures of as many of the good ones as I can. I think on my cloud and computer backups I've got more pictures of the sun setting than any other thing.

And I'll be fine for it to stay that way, if I can see pictures like this in my viewer.