Skywatch: Throwback Thursday

Last week was a whirlwind weather wise in my little world. The above photo is the oak tree in my backyard after a 12+ inch wet snowfall. It was beautiful but not without problems. It started with a warm day and snowmelt from a previous storm. Then the rain started which led to a day's rain with subsequent flooding and the governor of WV calling a state of emergency. Then, the rain turned to snow and it piled up quickly. 

 

Come evening the snow had stopped and this was the sunset in my front yard. A couple of hours later we found ourselves without any power and the generator we had wouldn't work. Luckily our gas fireplace was enough to stay warm through the night. The next day my Hubby took the generator apart and fixed it and we were good to go till the power was restored. Our community had been asked to conserve water as well.

 

The sky was a gorgeous brilliant blue for a few hours that morning in our wonderland world. It was hard not to just sit and stare at the beauty that surrounded us. I felt like I was looking at the set of a Frozen movie and Anna and Elsa and Olaf must certainly be just around the bend. Problems arise with any storm but the beauty I saw and experienced will stay with me a long time.

 Linking to Skywatch Friday

Life In The Country

For over thirty years we lived in suburbia. We had neighbors on both sides, beside and in front of us. The neighborhood luckily had lots of trees but that meant seeing the sky and sunrises and sunsets was impossible from home. There was no long stretch of sky to look at. Four and a half years ago when we retired and moved to the country all that changed. Today this is the view from my front porch. I get to sit in my rocker and watch the changing colors of the evening sky. This was about 7:45 last Thursday evening.About three minutes later you can see the sky was getting a little redder as the sun sunk further down on the horizon above the lengthening shadows.In yet another three minutes the darker blue of the evening clouds was overtaking the fading color in preparation for the night. Soon darkness would creep silently across the lawn.
What I like most is that I can watch the sunrise every evening in jeans or pajamas and no matter how brilliant or subtle it is it is still the most enjoyable way to end the day and all from my own front porch.A couple of days later Mr. Jake Turkey here was looking for love on a rainy afternoon and following two hens who were paying him no mind. I had watched them from every window in the house to try and get photos. I was finally able to step out on the front porch and snap a few shots.The hens had slipped away for a few minutes but I guess the group had already discussed where they were going because the hens ended up following the jake on down the driveway.
Excuse the growing grass around the fence. Hubby barely got the mowing done before it rained.

(Don't forget to click on any photo to enlarge them and enjoy the slideshow.)

Linking to Rural Thursday, Skywatch, and Friday's Fences.

A Potpourri of Skies

On a recent evening the night came closing in on what was left of a cloud covered blue sky.

When you were little didn't you love looking at the clouds and picking out the shapes? Don't you still love it? What do you see? I think Miss Piggy was floating around looking for Kermit.

Days after the Harvest Moon I was out trying to capture a photo for my little granddaughter Lily. She had seen the big ole moon and remarked to her Mommy that 'if that moon comes over here maybe I can sit on it." Ah, the mind of an almost four year old!

The moon seemed very big and bright but there were many clouds the evening I was trying and they kept getting in my way. When I downloaded this one it looked like the 'Man In The Moon' was posing for me.

I was able to get this egg shaped image before I gave up.

Posted for Skywatch.

A Perfect Ending

"A sunrise is God's promise the world should go on; a sunset, His signature."

Posted for Skywatch.

Skywatch: Last Saturday's Sunset

(from my front porch)

Posted for Skywatch.

Weekend Reflections: Christmas Lights

Christmas and New Year's have come and gone; but I was away for the holidays and can't resist posting this image of the reflection of my daughter's Christmas tree in her living room window. I love the bokeh the lights produce. I didn't notice until I downloaded the photo but if you look closely in the top left corner you can also see the beginning of the evening sunset through the trees.

For more Weekend Reflections join James here.

A Marbled Sunset

This was a recent scene over the top of my gazebo.

For more Sky Watch click the badge.........................>

Sky Watch: A Pink Sunset

Many times I'm sitting at my computer and can look out the huge double window in my sunroom. As I look through the branches of the big old oak tree often I catch a glimpse of the sky and know a sunset I wouldn't want to miss is about to happen. Traces of pink in this image were enough to make me grab my camera last Thursday as I was looking at Sky Watch posts and head outside.

Reaching my front porch this was the view over my front yard.

Waiting patiently I was soon treated to this beautiful pink sunset. Having lived almost thirty years in the city I know how lucky I am to be able to witness the beauty God spreads before me at my own front door.

For more gorgeous views of skies around the world please click the badge at the top of my post.

Sky Watch: A Winter Sunset

December 7, 2008

"A sunrise is God's promise the world should go on...

...a sunset his signature."

Sky Watch: Amish Farms and a Sunset

I've been posting different scenes this week from my visit to the Amish Countryside of Sugarcreek, Ohio. These are some of the farms I saw along the way. This was one of the newer farms in the area. I love the old wagon to the right of the silo.

Windmills dotted the countryside.

We were there at corn harvesting time.

This one is my favorite. I love the peeling red paint, the white silo, the puffy white clouds,the old wire fence and the horse crazing lazily in the pasture. It has all the right elements for a peaceful scene.

We spent the entire day in Sugarcreek. As we headed home the sun was setting beautifully over the countryside.

Be sure to click the Sky Watch at the top of my post to visit others posting their views of the sky from around the world.

Sky Watch Friday: Front Porch Sunset

Last Thursday evening I was awarded this view from my front porch.

The view from the back deck was quite a contrast in color.

From my front porch seven minutes after my first photo.

Click on the badge at the top to see more sky views from around the world.

Happy Sky Watching!

Pond Reflections

This is one of two ponds in my yard. I'm sure you see one of the goldfish happily swimming around. Yes, a little weeding could be done; but I like the natural look and try not to make it look too perfect. In the reflection image you can see the garage window and a white star that hangs on the garage wall. If you enlarge the image look for the frog that is beside the rock under the tree.

The evening's sunset is reflected in the garage window reflected in the pond!

A Sunset Surprise

Sunday evening as I sat at my computer I noticed there was a lot of pink in the eastern sky. Usually this means there's a lovely sunset on the other end of the house. I grabbed my camera and headed for the front porch to see what I could capture. I wasn't disappointed as you can see.

While I was on the porch snapping photos I thought it might be a good idea to water the ferns. They were hanging there not looking too good and a little lopsided as well. I have four and I usually take them down, water them and then put them back up. I had taken one down and reached for the bottom of the next one when a bird flew out past the porch to a nearby tree. I suspected I had disturbed someones little home.

and....SURPRISE!

I'll be keeping watch and watering carefully!

Historic Leesburg, Virginia

Here We Are!

(Leesburg, Virginia)

This is the main street through the historic city of Leesburg. The Town of Leesburg, founded in 1758 is one of Virginia's most picturesque and best-preserved communities by the National Trust for Historic Preservation standards. I loved the brick sidewalks and narrow streets. We're going to park here so we can go across the street to the county courthouse.

Let's walk through the ornate revolving gate toward the courthouse that was built in 1895 and is part of the Leesburg Historic District recognized by the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission.

As we walk through the gate we can see the front of the courthouse. It rises on four columns, has double doors, and is capped by a clock and bell housed in a belfry.

In front of the courthouse stands a statue of a Confederate soldier. It was designed by F.S. Sievers, and dedicated to the courthouse in 1908. It serves as a memorial to the many Rebel soldiers who died fighting for the cause in which they believed. They actually rededicated this statue the weekend we were there. It poured the rain down on Saturday so we didn't stay to watch.

A Closeup of the Belfry Tower

A closeup of the front of the statue. Notice the ornate tops of the columns on the courthouse.

I love statues and particularly liked the detail on this one. The folds in his uniform are amazing.

Tomorrow we'll go back across the street and take a look at the building with the bars on the window that you get a peek at in today's Jeep photo.

Till then I'll leave you with some photos I took yesterday. We had rain and storms all day and after dinner were treated to a storm that dropped marble sized hail as you can see in the photo below.

It didn't last long and in a short while we were treated to a lovely sunset. This photo was taken from my front porch looking out past my gazebo. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.