LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Monday, December 7, 2015

Shepherd's Delight


There's an old saying about the sky and weather predictions for the coming day.

Red sky at night; shepherd's (sailor's) delight.
Red sky at morning; shepherd's (sailor's) warning.

It is, in fact almost a scientific truth.  When the sky is red at night, it does mean the weather is clear to the west.  And in the US, most weather patterns move from west to east.  So if it's clear to the west, that weather will move to us tomorrow, giving us a nice day.  (Some folks say we here in the east get the west's leftovers.)  The red color indicates more pure color, thanks to the clear western weather.

We cannot see the large expanses of the skies one can see from the western desert or the eastern coast.  When meteor showers are expected, we must drive a fair distance away in order to see enough sky to count the shooting stars.

We cannot see even the sunset from our house.  It sets behind distant mountains not in our view.  But every now and again, we see the reflections of the setting sun coloring our clouds.  And it is indeed a beautiful sight. The bright pink/reddish glow of the clouds in the beautiful blue sky amaze us.  The color is very brief, lasting only a few minutes at most before the moment is lost.

It begins with very bright pink




 The color mutes quickly




 More and more pale in just minutes before it disappears

The photographs above were taken from our deck within a few minutes.  By the time I moved to the front of the house, the colors were gone.  That quickly.

But it was amazing while it lasted.  And, yes.  The next day dawned bright and clear.  A welcome respite after several days of rain.


12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lovely cloud colors at sunset there. It looks quite lovely through the trees.

Lowcarb team member said...

What amazing colours, I'm so pleased you were able to capture them, and share them with us.

All the best Jan

Vicki Lane said...

Beautiful pictures! We too get only reflected sunsets -- a mountain is at the back of our house, blocking the western sky. But isn't that second-hand glory lovely!

Ms. A said...

Pretty flat around here, so we can see the sunsets, but aaaaaahhhh... to be in the mountains. *sigh

KGMom said...

I have more photos of sunset (and a fair few of dawn)--more than almost any other subject.
I can't resist a fleeting beauteous sunset.
It's a real treat when we visit our son--his house is only a mile from the ocean, high on a hill. So we get unobstructed views of the sunset over the Pacific.

KB said...

Thank you for explaining that saying to me. I never knew the reason behind it.

There's nothing I love more than the fleeting colors of a beautiful sunset. Yours was magnificent, and I'm glad that you were there to see it!

cyclopseven said...

Falling sunlight spreads the colors all around
A feast of peace for he who has settled in his heart
The brush unseen, nor the artist's hands
That's the marvel of the one hidden among the creation,
A task well done, anonymously.

Mary Lee said...

You're in a perfect spot for seeing such loveliness. Thanks for sharing it!

Mary Lee said...

PS. I remember seeing Fannie Flagg on the old Johnny Carson show, talking about her days as a weather girl on a TV station. She said that she didn't know a thing about meteorology, but that she figured that weather always came from the west, so when she arrived on the set in the morning, she'd simply move the night meteorologist's weather symbols over a few inches.

Unknown said...

I too love beautiful sunsets. We have been having them too.

Tara said...

Gorgeous! Glad you're getting a break from the rain.

NCmountainwoman said...

Thanks for your comments, everyone.

cyclopseven - lovely poem

Mary Lee - I do remember Fannie Flagg talking about her days as the weather girl.