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.

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.

FRIGID FLOW

We've had some frigid weather, 

and some ice in the river as a result.

AWESOME!

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.

weird cloud

Okay, this is not at my mountain, but it is nearby. 

It's such a strange cloud that showed up all of a sudden.

Almost seems like a 'creature from the sky lagoon' swooping down to swallow the sun. 

Kind of cool, actually.

Interesting.

The day was unsettled in mid-May 2013, breezy, yet with a heavy 

it-will-be-storming-sometime-soon feeling in the air.

late day cloud-gazing - animals in the sky?

I was taking a few shots of the evening sky. It got pretty dramatic - heated - active - impressive.

I remember as a child, 

how our dad would get us kids watching the skies, 

CLOUD-GAZING.

It was loads of fun - great memories!

Using my imagination I could see different scenes.
The first thing that came to mind is a baby elephant.
It's walking from right to left in profile, the head is the big vertical cloud in the center, the body is the right half of the photo.   Can you see it?

Then I saw it as 2 different figures - like they were confronting each other.

The vertical cloud could be like a bull, up on its hind lefgs like it's about to pound down on the head-and-shoulders of another animal. This one looks like it's got its head down, ready to charge, like a ram. hmmmm, wonder if there's a horn or antler down there.

IF YOU SEE ANYTHING ELSE LET ME KNOW.

The Plane! The Plane!

There is a smaller local airport on the other side of the river. On beautiful sunny days it’s very pleasurable to hear the distant drone of a plane gearing up to fly up into the air, then you see it climbing up into the air in front of  the mountain, and finally soaring across the sky as though it’s chasing the clouds. Sometimes it turns and flies overhead, other times it disappears in the distance behind the mt, becoming an increasingly smaller speck.  After a bit of time passes, there’s the distant drone…  

One day in mid-May, I was walking on the levee along the Susquehanna river near the airport. Had the opportunity to see one plane as it was preparing to land. It’s exhilarating to see one of those seemingly “tiny” aircraft at such a much closer proximity. 

Sunset Series

 These photos were taken one after the other, a few minutes apart, one evening in mid-May, 2013. I didn't change any settings on my camera, but I zoomed out in the last to see more along the mountains.

 This 3rd photograph feels inspirational to me... I love the plane streaking up higher and higher.

1st MT ridge photo taken in early June 2013

I call this mountain ridge MY MOUNTAIN because it is the view I see from home; the only view of mountains I see there. What a beautiful change from the last place we lived! It is not one of the many more majestic views in our area in NEPA, Northeastern Pennsylvania, but it is definitely mine. There are a plethora of emotions, views, activities that display daily around this mountain range across the river from us. Ive been pleasantly surprised at the beauty of the simplicity of this view, and its wondrous variety of simply mountain, tree, sky, sun, cloud, nature.
      I am attempting to document this, informally. I love telling stories with my art, but no words are required when the mountain, my mountain, speaks volumes in every moment. It exists. It endures. It is a creation of beauty in its reality.

Here's my first photo: It's sunset, early June 2013.