The Remains of the Day
What is it about watching the sky go from daylight to sunset and then dusk to twilight? Any time the clouds are moving, I enjoy looking up to watch (camera in hand), ready to capture the loveliness as it passes by. But the unfathomable yet reliable transformation of light to dark as the day ends — and then the same miracle played out in reverse at sunrise — is something that always holds me in thrall. I find it hard to tear myself away from the spectacle until it is complete. A song that feels unfinished until the last few notes fade out…
When I went out for my evening walk yesterday it was hot and muggy. It didn’t matter! The sky had been beckoning me all day and now I was ready and waiting to enjoy the symbiosis of clouds and color. The quickly changing light transformed the hillsides such that I could stand in one spot and create several pleasing variations of the same image…
When the moon finally showed itself it was a delicate waxing crescent. One last sliver of light as the rest of the canyon succumbed to darkness…
Guess what? This is my 100th blog post. (!!!) I just wanted to take the opportunity to say what a joy it has been to share my photos and thoughts with you all. I do cherish the solitude of my outings, but I love the connection and communion that I feel in getting to share those moments with friends that value and admire the natural world as I do. Thank you for all the wonderful comments and participation. Your encouragement and enthusiasm means the world to me.
*blissful smile of gratitude*
You always manage to capture really amazing sky photos, Harsi, and these are no exception. Just wanted to congratulate you on 100 blog posts (wow!), and say that I’ve enjoyed reading your daily musings, and look forward to many more 🙂 By the way, it looks like we both shot the moon this night, and maybe around the same time of night judging by the color of sky. Here is my photo from the island, looking towards the west: https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GwRRApLOBUg/TkBIoAsIiHI/AAAAAAAAEcc/hGhxUQBgf6Y/s640/sky.jpg
Well, thank you very much, Chris!! Your compliments on my images are always so nice. And since sky images are some of my favorite things to shoot, I’m especially pleased that you like them. *grin* Also, thanks for the congrats on the blogging milestone… frankly, I’m a bit shocked I’ve made it this far. I have a tendency to not follow-through on things quite frequently. In all honesty, it is the wonderful people (like you) that I know are reading along that really makes the whole process so enjoyable. Hey!! That is so incredibly cool that you took a moon pic that same night! I loved seeing your beautiful image from the island — thank you, thank you for sharing it with me!! (Is that Laurel Sumac I see silhouetted on the left side of the image?! Just a guess…. *grin*)
Oh you’re good Harsi… that is most certainly laurel sumac! I take it you are pretty familiar with the silhouettes of the plants that grow around the canyon? 🙂
Yes… well…you know, I do have my moments of greatness. (*ha ha ha ha*) But, yeah, you’re right that I’ve gotten pretty familiar with the outline of the more common plants around here… In addition to the ubiquitous sumac, the other three species I featured in this older posts are also lovely in silhouette-form: http://wideningrings.com/post.cfm/my-july-sky-ii