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!!

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.

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.

This is my 2nd post in my ... I guess you can call it a diary.... of the mountain. It's also in early June, as a storm was approaching late afternoon. Dramatic! The wind was kicking up and you can see the storm clouds gathering, moving quickly towards us minutes before the rain reaches our side of the river. A closeup is at

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/storms-coming-christina-verdgeline.html showing the bright area surrounded by the heavy grey clouds.

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.