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I have an infatuation with the sky. Maybe it’s because this sky is so BIG out here on the plains. Or maybe it’s because a farmer’s very being depends on what happens in the sky! Or….maybe it’s just me. When I lived over in paradise -aka, the Rockies- I loved the sky there, too….there just wasn’t as much of it to see at one time! Nor was it so volatile 🙂
But whatever the reason, I LOVE the sky!
This huge prairie sky has MANY moods, and each one can be awe inspiring and/or devastating.
This beautiful, two-faced cloud below, had rolled across the sky from the west.
Twenty miles away, it had done it’s dirty work in the form of two tornados that caused destruction and chaos at our friends’ farm!
Luckily, they were not hurt, and their house had only minimal damage. Their garage, on the other hand, was strewn all over the hayfield, and wrapped around trees. The huge tall antenna tower that is literally 3 feet from their house was twisted like a pipe cleaner, wrapped around and laid gently on the house. Only a few dents in the metal roof!
Their Quonset was partially yanked from one corner of it’s foundation. Beautiful trees were yanked out of the ground and toppled over. Vehicles and tractors were damaged, and their new pivot sprinkler was rolled several times…twisted and ruined!
Their neighbors also got hit. They were also fine, but their house was damaged, and out buildings gone.
Splendor is one thing. Fury is quite another!
Several Moods of this Big, Beautiful Sky
If you’ve never seen a green hail cloud, here’s your chance! Two different storms, but hail has it’s own special look–and feel!
When you see a cloud like this, soon there will be a cold wind, and you will know that someone, somewhere got hail. Not a pleasant thing in farm country…well, actually it’s not a pleasant thing in ANY country!
And yes, rainbows come even after destruction!
This one came after our major hailstorm last year. Read more about it here.
This is one of my favorite rainbow photos, taken from our front window. It came after a nice rain though, not after devastation!
Spectacular Scenes
The photos below were taken at the same time….the one on the left was facing east, the one on the right was facing west! I have NO idea what could have caused the “shadow”, but it was magnificent!! They met overhead. It got really wide as it went over and above, then it thinned out as it met the horizon on each side!
Has anyone seen such a thing? Or do you know what caused it? Please tell us in the comments if you know!
Rippled art work in the sky! And a sunset in the south!
Below: a gloriously blue sky with beautiful fluffy white clouds.
Splendid Sunrises and Sunsets
The sunrise photo below was not that exact color of purple in real life, maybe because I shot it through the windshield(?), but it was SPECTACULAR!
The photo above reminds me of a quote from a 6 year old little boy, Jeremy….”Sometimes when you’re really lucky, you get sunsets on both sides of the sky.”
The photo is facing east, and it is indeed a sunset! And Jeremy is right–sometimes we ARE really lucky!
Spectacular Starry Nights
At our house, we kind of take it for granted that when we go outside at night, we are going to see the stars–LOTS of stars! Apparently that’s not how it is everywhere!
We have a lot of company, and over and over, we hear about how TREMENDOUS the night sky is here….you can see ALL of the stars!
I think some of the reasons that it’s so VIVID are:
- there is so much sky to see, and
- there is NO light pollution.
So…there is nothing to take the spotlight away from this spectacular masterpiece!!
And that’s the end of my slide show…..:)
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you can enjoy the sky wherever you are…..it really is spectacular!
** Obviously, I’m not a photographer, but my iPhone takes pretty clear pictures! All but 2 of these photos were the actual color of the sky when I took them. The pink/purple one was taken through the windshield, which I assume changed the color a bit. And the star picture is not my picture, so I can’t say about that one. It was taken by Neale LaSalle. But it is very much as clear as our night sky looks!
Good Thoughts
“Out here, the sky is not a ceiling but a companion.” Anon
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Absolutely beautiful pictures!
Thank you! This sky gives us plenty of beautiful scenes!