Awe-some Chinook Sunset

I got my camera back - no major problems (*big sigh of relief*) and they were able to download my pictures of the most amazing sunset I have ever witnessed. (* bigger sigh of relief*)

I stood outside in my front yard and literally shot for about 15 minutes  as the sky constantly changed color and the clouds thickened and moved all around me. To give you some idea of the immensity of this display of color,  the evergreen tree is at least 35 feet tall, and is on a hill. You can see our neighbor's house in one picture, and the tree is a bit further down the hill while their house sits at the top of the hill. 

I cannot describe to you the incredible sense of the magnificent glory of my Creator that this evening gave me. My senses were so filled with the brilliance of color and the immensity of the sky that I quite simply could not continue to take pictures even though the sunset had not  completed its show. I was literally overwhelmed deep in my very being. I have never had that sensation before...

I absolutely am painting - but I just HAD to share these pictures with you. I have not altered or touched the photos in any way other than to put my signature on them. I hope the colors show on your monitor even half the intensity of the photos.

 

Troubles and Roses

 

Some time ago, my husband bought me a grouping of varied beautiful roses. In the late afternoon sun, I placed them in a sunny window and began shooting with my camera. 

(Click on each photo to see enlarged detail)

I love the peachy orange deep in the base of this pale pink rose. It was not really noticeable until I placed it in a position where it was backlit.

This rose had such gorgeous two-toned petals! It had an amazing fragrance as well.

And then there was this beauty... perfect in form and color. The edges of the petals waved and curled in such a flowing rhythm - I wished I could preserve it like this forever.

It is so much fun for me to take photos, especially when they are visually unique or striking. This week I took some absolutely fantastic photos of the sunset on Chinook clouds. Most people think of Calgary as getting Chinook winds in winter, but we can actually get these winds in all seasons. In the winter, the Chinooks melt the snow, and change the temperature as much as 20 degrees Celsius in a matter of hours. 

For those of you who don't know what "Chinooks" are - they are dry warm winds that cross over the western side of the mountains where they dump their moisture, and then rush down the eastern slope of the mountains, bringing warm dry air and what we call a Chinook Arch. The Chinook Arch is a band of clouds which are pushed ahead of the Chinook winds, and form a line across the sky. This is a Chinook we had last week, and the sunset that glowed on the arch in the western sky. What a glorious sight!

 

(click on each photo to see enlarged detail)

My trouble is that I cannot get my camera to download the pictures onto my computer... which means I cannot take a picture of a painting and post that either! I had taken the camera in to a camera shop on the weekend to purchase a filter, and the guy was fiddling with it, cleaning it, and showing me some cool things to do with the camera. I had taken a lot of lake pictures on Saturday, and the Chinook pictures tonight, and now I can't get them off the camera. So I will have to go back to the shop to see if the guy can figure out what is wrong. It is probably something simple, but I can't find out what it is. *sigh*  Anyway, I hope you enjoy these pictures until I can get my camera fixed and post a painting. Hopefully it won't be too long!

Wildlife Stories

This is the view I have when I look out my kitchen or bedroom window, looking almost directly north. We get some pretty spectacular cloud formations where I live, and storms rush down the valley which winds its way at the bottom of those hills. The farm you see is perched on top of a huge hill that has many sandstone outcroppings. In amongst those stones is the den of a family of coyotes. During winter they are much easier to spot - they show up against the snow, but during this time of year, they are much easier to hear. Every night around 10:00, they yelp and howl, and set all the dogs in the area also howling. It is fun to listen to coyotes in the late spring as they teach their pups to sing the coyote songs. The pups' voices are much higher and they can't howl as long at a time as the adults. There have been many nights when it sounds like they are in the trees right behind our house!

A couple of nights ago, as I was about to go out for a walk, our neighbor called. In that valley at the bottom of those hills is a creek, and sometimes creatures find their way from the mountains into that valley. She called to tell us that she had to put her horses in the barn and dogs in the kennel as they were all going crazy. Now, dogs will go crazy over coyotes, but not horses. Horses ignore coyotes as they pose no threat to them. What will put a horse into a frenzy is a cougar. Over the 12 years we have been here, we know of at least twice where cougars have found their way down from the mountains and into that valley. So, I decided to stay inside, and we put our dogs in their kennel as well. 

Sometimes being close to wildlife is REALLY exciting! :-)