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 Bountiful Chalk Festival, I Fear...Is Going To Be A Little Wet This Year

The first hint that things would probably not work out this year was a quick look at the weather app on my phone.

A week of rain.

Of course, the app can do no better than predict the possibility of rain, but when the clouds gathered this afternoon and the first few drops dirtied the windows of our unprotected car windows, that's when I knew all the work that had already taken place a few miles south of us was being washed away.

Literally.

It's a shame, too, because I'm sure the artists had put in a lot of work and had planned to put in even more.

Two days ago I drove through Bountiful's Main Street. There were dozens--maybe hundreds--of chalk drawings in various states of completion. There were even people wandering about taking in the art and enjoying themselves. I've never actually gotten out and looked at all the cool chalk masterpieces during the festival, but I have driven through and seen--from a driver's perspective--the amazing things people created. The above picture was found on-line from festival's past.

Looks like this year's event will be called on account of the weather.

There's lots of social events that take weather into account. A lot of weddings, for example, will make plans for a nice outdoor affair, but they schedule a building just in case. I really can't see how the chalk festival can accommodate for rain. It's just one of those things.

So, to all the artists and art lovers watching their works circle the drain, I feel for you. Making art is always a gamble. Sometimes you bet on black and hit red. Let's hope next year, we're precipitation-free.

You'd Think We Live In The Pacific Northwest...

We've had a wet year so far.

I grew up on the same street and for the life of me, I can't remember as a kid if the late winter/early springs were especially wet or not. They could have been, or they might have been dry years. I suppose I could do an internet search to know for sure (since I've got the collection of all human knowledge--or most human knowledge--at my fingertips...), but that seems like a lot of work.

This year, it's been wet. 

I like wet weather. I've made no secret of this. Too hot is too hot. I don't like it when outside inches closer to the approximate temperature of Hell. But hey...that's just me. Back in 1985 I moved to Europe for a couple of years. In preparation of this move, we were advised to bring along a raincoat--something I never see anyone wear anymore.

Turned out to be great advice.

In Denmark it rains every day, or almost every day. It's so low there the clouds fly in, rain, then rush out. This cycle goes on several times a day. A raincoat is needed. Umbrellas are nice, but hardly useful when you're doing things like...oh, riding a bike, or running to catch a train carrying a backpack full of books and such.

There are people in college right now studying weather patterns. They can look at data going back as far as records were kept. Maybe it's a trend. Maybe it's an anomaly. Maybe in the future dry late winters/early springs will be the exception. I personally don't know. 

Perhaps I should go get a raincoat...the ones at thrift stores are the best.