Weather drama

After missing most of the snow and stormy weather this winter season, we're getting some snow now that is actually sticking to the ground, here in NE PA, USA.

BEAUTIFUL!

Stay safe out there! The photo is a different day,, still as exhilarating as any beautiful wonder of nature!

Sunshine is delicious, 

rain is refreshing, 

wind braces us up, 

snow is exhilarating; 

there is really no such thing as bad weather, 

only different kinds of good weather.

John Ruskin

RAINBOWS!

A few days ago we had warmer than normal temps, with rain.

just before a cold front moved in.

I saw TWO BEAUTIFUL RAINBOWS, one late morning:

 Then we got back on the road. Dramatic clearing clouds in the sky while passing Wilkes-Barre.

 Early afternoon, here's ANOTHER rainbow!

Views from our backyard. 

The entire arch touches down in front of the mountains on the west side of the Susquehanna River.

the sky tonight!

It was a tremendously humid day.

We've had record-breaking temperatures here in the NE of PA.

then.... AHHHHHH!

A beautiful sunset, with everchanging patterns and color combinations,
ending with purple accents on bluish-turning grey clouds.

Then the moon, almost full,
peeks out from behind the clouds.
hanging low in the sky.

  

good night moon!

GOOD NIGHT ALL! Sleep well.

JOY - LIFT THE CLOUDS

Before you think it, or say it, Stop.

Open up to the peace inside you.

Help lift the clouds, ease the darkness.

Many people I know are facing difficulties lately.

seems like more than before.

dark clouds.

And many others seem to react more often with anger or fear.

more dark clouds.

I've been able to learn to pause,

block out all the noise, 

feel some peace and quiet.

happiness ~ JOY ~ sunshine

I said a prayer that each of us can can feel that same joy.

bright skies.

And share it with those we love, and with those we don't.

more bright skies.

This photo is a recent sunset. the clouds were beautiful... 

how they were lightening & brightening after a dark rainstorm,

letting the sun shine through before it lowered down behind my mountain.

Inspiring.

sunset last night

A lovely #sunset last night.

8-15pm, shortly before a thunderstorm, bringing in a coldfront.

Very humid. 

There are thunderstorm warnings for all surrounding counties.

LOVE those rays.

the sun is disappearing.

This is a few minutes later. 

mountain and sky

BEAUTIFUL SUNSETS

in my backyard

On the Wilkes-Barre area side of the Susquehanna River looking west to the mountain range beyond the river and Kingston/Forty Fort, towards the back mountain (Dallas, Shavertown, Trucksville). The deep dip in the mountain range is where the CrossValley (Rt 309) cuts up and through on its way "North".
map of the area

a few days ago

and a few days before that

a beautiful after-storm sky 

and the day before that...

LOVELY!!! Have a great day! TGIF!!

robin nest & Spring colors & sun

a few weeks ago I saw a robin in the nest. They're back!

(now the babys have hatched and the parents are busy flying back & forth feeding them.)

Back when I first saw the robin,

 there was a mockingbird.

Bad bird!

He was in a recent previous post.

He and I played "tag" as I was trying to shoo him away.

He kept hopping just one more branch away from me as we kept going around... I was circling this japanese maple tree in the yard. He was NOT happy with me... but eventually left. Does not bother the robins anymore. hah!

Some lovely early Spring color. 

and finally warm sunshine.

                       

Sunset location & "warm" day

frigid #weather this #winter!
3-1-2014 was a "warm-up" (high temp low 30'sdF)

(also below at the end: link to live webcam of a bald eagle nest,

not local, but in Pennsylvania. They just got snow, too.)

The sunset's on it's way back towards the right, nestling in the dip in the mountain range during the Summer, where our  local main road, the CrossValley Expressway cuts through, going North.

These sunset photos were taken from approx 5:44pm to 5:55pm.

 I love the color palette here. Interesting clouds, too!

There's a plane!!!

 Good night!

I've been watching this nest off and on the last few days. 

Once I saw the "changing of the guard! When the parents switched places.

COOL!

Here's the link, so you can see it, too:

live webcam, bald eagle nest, Pittsburgh PA

December sky & Christmas tree

below, the Christmas tree on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre looks like 

it's been celebrating already - a "tipsy tree"

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

Winter sunset

We only got light snow in the #Wilkes-Barre, PA area Wyoming Valley#nepa this  afternoon (predicted 1-3"). Now it's breezy and the temps are dropping to the teens tonight, and a predicted high of only 26 (yikes!) tomorrow. But what a beautiful #sunset outside just a few minutes ago! 

Look how far over the sunset moved to the left!

During the Summer, the sun used to set all the way over in that dip in the mountains to the far right. That's where rte 309, the Cross Valley Expressway, cuts North towards Dallas, PA after it crossed the Susquehanna river. You can't tell here, but the altitude is much higher there - quite a climb up and through the mountains.

Orange sunset

Here's a recent very colorful sunset. Deep orange and some purplish hues in the clouds.

BEAUTIFUL!! DRAMATIC!! SPECTACULAR!!

... (you get the idea) 

I wish photographs could capture the atmosphere better sometimes. This one comes close.)

And when I walked closer, standing under the trees I saw this beautiful sky:

This time of year, the sun sets further South along the mountain ridges, 

off to the left of the original sunsets I posted. 

These 2 photos were taken from a different vantage point, in Wilkes-Barre, not all the way down in the Wyoming Valley near the Susquehanna river as usual, but from a little higher altitude.

Last Night's Eerie Drama

We had a storm front moving through - & some DRAMATIC cloud formations in the sky!

The start of a humid & warmer-than-usual few days for the Labor Day holiday weekend, 

with highs averaging in the mid 80s.  (this was actually night before last, Aug 29, 2013)

** Here's a panoramic view**

just as it's starting

I also show closeups left & right, below this photo.

They are all within 10 minutes: 7:40pm or so - 7:50pm.

THE SETUP

Around 7:00 we noticed the sky outside... it didn't look yellow, in fact there were bright blue areas to the Southwest (That's the left side of this photo), but it "felt" yellow.  The air itself was yellow - 

a thick dark yellow.

The wind was still - nonexistant, even though you could tell something was approaching from up the street. Eerie!

I went outside, the sun had just dipped down behind the mountain - the sun sets in the center of the panorama above, right where there's a dip in the crest, a passage through the mountain to the other side.

(ALRIGHT,... 

I can't resist ...

 imagine creepy sci-fi music playing as you read, "to the other side" above.)

Back to reality people! That "dip" in the mountains is where the local highway, the North Cross Valley Expressway, rt 309, cuts and climbs through the mountain, giving access from the major highways and the Wyoming Valley cities & riverside towns... "to the other side" (couldn't resist again), to the "Back Mountain" as it's called locally, towns of Shavertown, Trucksville, Dallas... I posted a Google map on August 14, 2013.

     I digress. So... I went outside. the sky was blue, we had just had a nice sunset with greying clouds lined with streaks of pink then purple. Nice. But,    the    air      felt     yellow.  I turned around and looked up the street (off the panoramic view, off from the right).  The sky was an entire mass of GRAY. Heavy. Then I started hearing lots of distant rumblings. You probably guessed right - those rumblings were approaching thunder & lightning. You could palpably feel the air getting thicker, then the breezes started as I ran around the yard, prepping for a storm, in case there were strong gusts.

A FEW PHOTOS OF IMPRESSIVE CLOUDS EVENT

     Then I went inside, upstairs to the window where I can get the best shots, and started shooting. 

 First was the panoramic view above.

Closer view looking LEFT: approx 7:43pm

     

Closer view looking LEFT: approx 7:49pm

Interesting how some clouds started poking up higher & higher at the top.

Closer view looking RIGHT: approx 7:43pm

 Closer view looking RIGHT: approx 7:49pm

(In this shot I zoomed back out. I wanted to catch what I could of the huge cloud at the top.)

Then the sky turned grey, almost completely cloud-covered,

as the storm arrived.

FINAL NOTE: I wish you could have been here! I'm sure you probably experienced similar weather events, so you know how powerful the visuals and feelings can get. After this, there was nothing worth recording. It was grey. there was wind. Some rain. Somewhat anti-climactic. 

But this part was really quite fun. And beautiful.

 *1 or 2 of these photos will be available at http://christina-verdgeline.artistwebsites.com in the "My Mountain" gallery.

Evening sun, and June wildflowers

Here's a lovely shining shot of the sun before it slides down behind the #mountain.

Below, in the next 2 #photographs,

 are some #wildflowers on nearby slopes.

These next 2 photos were taken mid-June, 2013.

Some typical, and quite sweet & cute, wildflowers.

(I don't really know their names).

Breathing in the air under the fir #trees is so fragrant with the pine needles. I understand that air is so healthy.

 Here's a closeup of a patch of #flowers in another spot. ENJOY!

full moon overhead & interesting clouds

the last moon was spectacular... here's a few shots that evening.

The first one looks like an eyeball, doesn't it?

 The clouds were moving pretty quickly...

 ... and changing shape...

...growing.  

COOL!