See what I mean? Yeah, the rain is what we need, but these skies are what we love!
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Halos, Rainbows, and Crepuscular Rays
The best part of rain is the replenishment of our aquifers, reservoirs, and groundwater supplies. I know this is true, but for me it's the endlessly beautiful skies that shift overhead with sunlight and clouds between the storms. We had 2 1/2 inches (6.35 cm) of rain in two days. It was grand. But this is what else those storms brought.
See what I mean? Yeah, the rain is what we need, but these skies are what we love!
See what I mean? Yeah, the rain is what we need, but these skies are what we love!
Sunday, October 26, 2014
The Sky Between Storms
Here in coastal northern California we have received a fine amount of rain over the past few days. Two storms came through, one on Thursday and an even bigger one on Saturday. The sky between storms on Friday was as beautiful as ever. So I went out to take a look. Here's what I saw. (Please click the pics to see the larger image.)
We were lucky that Saturday morning started with a double rainbow because a windy storm blew in all the rest of the day. It was wild and much welcomed. Then, Sunday morning began with crepuscular rays. We love the time between storms. I'll post the rainbow and rays photos mid week.
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Looking east an hour after sunrise |
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A hint of iridescence |
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The beauty of silver linings |
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Awesome iridescence for just a few minutes |
And thank you thank you thank you for your thoughtful and kind words on our previous post. It means so much to Roger, my family and me to read your comments.
Friday, October 24, 2014
Warning: This Is A Very Sad Post
We keep this blog for so many reasons. It's a great place for posting photos of our daily lives. It's been a wonderful place for virtually meeting some delightful human beings across the globe who share their own photos and stories. It's been an absolutely invaluable journal in helping us reconstruct some of our recent history when our memories have failed. It's been a place where we tell some of the happiest and saddest stories of our lives. We always like to tell the happy ones, but the sad ones -- the ones we don't really want to write-- they have to be told too. So, friends, this is a sad story.
Some time last week it might have been on October 15th, my sister Lynn's longtime partner and love took his own life. He had been suffering with bipolar disorder for a long, long time. I have to admit it never occurred to me how damaging bipolar disorder is, even though my twin brother spends his entire work day as a social worker working with bipolars and schizophrenics. I just thought of it as disruptive and difficult mood swings. When I read the literature online about how debilitating and serious it is, I began to understand how deeply Stephen suffered.
Stephen tried. He really tried to keep things intact. Lynn convinced him to see a psychiatrist. He tried all the medications. But he always went back to the alcohol to self-medicate in the most dangerous way. He made two serious attempts to end his life this year, once in March and once in July. My beautiful, brave sister literally saved his life both of those times. But this third attempt took place 2000 miles away, and he told her she was just too far to help. So sad and true. Poor Stephen.
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Dancing at Lynn's daughter's wedding |
Stephen was buried with full military honors on October 22nd. We wept and said our farewells into the rainy windy night. My sister is heartbroken in a way that I can hardly begin to fathom. Life has its terrible personal tragedies that leave a person changed forever.
We hope Stephen found the peace he longed for.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Monday, October 20, 2014
Two New Birds
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American Wigeon |
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Green-winged Teal |
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Northern Pintail |
Here's a map of the marsh. It'll give you some idea of where we've been out walking.
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