The View From Here: Stormy September Part 1

Happy Autumn, everyone! We have been getting a bumper crop of storms around here lately. And where there are storms, there are plenty of interesting storm clouds to photograph; so many, I had to break this series up into two parts:







I always find it interesting how the shapes of the clouds sometimes mimic the shapes of the trees in front of them:



I like how the parts jutting out from the back of this truck appear to be reaching out for the sun:

Stay tuned for the completion of the series next week.

The View From Here: Cloud Compositions and Edible Art

Now that it is almost totally dark when I usually take my sunrise photos, I'm taking more pictures during the day instead. I think I got took some pretty interesting shots:

Photo of a construction site in the early evening -

A local farm on an overcast day:

A look at downtown Newark (NJ) through the bird netting covering the window:

A moody sky that is about to get violent, for sure -

Puffy clouds, with a dragonfly that wandered into the shot at just the right moment -

And last but not least, a bit of edible art: bean salad and roasted veggie kabobs (yum, yum) -

The View From Here: Sunrise Series Coming to an End

My sunrise cloud series will soon be coming to an end, sigh. Not because I want it to, but because the sun is rising later and later in the mornings now, and you know what that means: autumn will soon be here. So enjoy:

The View From Here: Moody Clouds

Here are some more cloudy sunrises for you to enjoy. The clouds can create so many different moods! I never tire of looking at them:

And then there's one little lonely cloud, who vanished away just moments after I snapped the photo:

The View From Here: Clouds and Snakes

The clouds, no longer teasing us nor playing cat and mouse, finally gave us what we wanted: much needed relief from the heat, with cooler temperatures and rain (at last)!! But before the rain, an orange-colored sky:






And I've been working on getting the craft kits for church done early this year. This snake was from one of the lessons that got skipped last year:



It is simply a paper plate cut in the shape of a spiral. I used watercolors to paint it.

Cool Clouds And My Nutty Heart

More of my favorite subject lately: clouds ~

A few early morning hay bales ~

And, while cracking walnuts open the other day, what should I chance to see?

A heart. A little love goes a long way!

Berries and Skies

Hi all, I took a short break from posting last week so I could enjoy a week off. But I was still busy taking photos and picking wild raspberries (at last). Based on last year's berry post, the berries were a little late this year. But they still taste just as sweet.

First, the cloud pictures:

And the berries:

The first pickings are usually a little slim, but now there are tons of berries to be had! Yum, yum! Maybe this year I'll finally make some wild raspberry jam!

The View From Here: Father's Day with Cloud Visions

Happy Father's Day, one and all! Here is the wonderful art that my daughter created for me, as well as two other pieces she made recently:

In my opinion, this vase with flowers can rival Van Gogh's Sunflowers anyday:


Looks like she used wax or melted crayon on this one:

In case you haven’t figured it out, I have a thing for clouds and sunrises. Transient and elusive, formed and fleeting in seconds, clouds fascinate me as a metaphor for life itself. These photos in particular put me in mind of composer Philip Glass' Cloudscapes, or the opening chorus from Bach's Cantata 26, which likens the brevity of life to the fleeting clouds. These were taken just after a large thunderstorm had just passed through:

The rising sun always reminds me that no matter how dark life can get, a brighter day is coming:

The View From Here: Clouds & Matzo Balls

Today I am exhausted. I had planned on going outside to do a little yardwork (emphasis on the word LITTLE), since we have been getting so much rain and everything is turning into a jungle. Today is the first day in a week that it hasn't rained at all, though it has been overcast all day, and cool. Ideal for doing work outside. So outside I went, after generously slathering myself with bug repellent cream. I was going to mow the lawn but then I thought, hey, I'll trim the hedges too, it won't take too long. Next thing you know I was cutting tree branches and pulling weeds, and it was after 6pm when I came back inside. Work always turns into more work, it seems. But the job is done and it looks nice. And I had a chance to think as I worked, which is always nice too. Naturally, as I look out the window while I type this, it is getting darker and darker, so we probably will get some rain after all. Glad I got it done in time.

Here are a few photos I took of the clouds around here. They are all taken on different days, and all taken with a cell phone camera. I like the way I was able to frame the shots and how interesting the clouds looked:

No, I wasn't driving when I took this picture.

This one looks like a painting to me:

I like how the trees are framing the clouds in this shot:

I almost forgot to mention: at Easter-time this year, I decided to make matzo ball soup for the first time. I looked online for a simple recipe and went to the store to purchase the supplies. But alas, when I went to purchase the ingredients individually, I was not happy with the price. So I decided to make a prepared mix. Streit's matzo ball soup was on sale, so I bought that one. My daughter enjoys matzo ball soup as much as I do, so she was interested to see how I made it. I followed the directions, shaping the matzo into small, meatball-sized balls. I thought they were going to stay that size, but they expanded nearly 3 times as much once the soup was done. It was very good, but it didn't taste like the kind that we usually get from the diner. Next time I will splurge and make it from scratch to see what it tastes like that way; I like the experience of making food from scratch, even if it takes longer. I sprinkled a little italian seasoning on top before I ate it: