I noticed a red glow on my balcony wall one evening last weekend so I stepped outside to check out the sky. It had been overcast all day long but unfortunately no rain fell. However, all those clouds created a stunning sunset.
I raided the archives to find this sunset photo to post today since today is the longest day of the year. Here in Arizona we will get a little over 14 hours of sunshine. For those of you further north, you will be getting almost 2 hours more sunshine than we get. I'm sure there will be solstice celebrations all over the world. I know there will be a big one at Stonehenge.
I was visiting with friends Thursday evening when we all noticed a rosy glow outside the window.
We went outside to find a very rosy sunset forming overhead. We had just enough clouds in the sky to paint the sky with blushes of rose and purple. Such a pretty way to end the day.
I stepped out of my kitchen in time to see the room filled with red light. As I glanced toward the windows I saw a spectacular sunset happening. I grabbed the camera and headed out to capture it. We hadn't had any clouds earlier in the day so a cloud filled sunset was a bit unexpected.
I was at my friend Glenda's house Thursday evening when the sun finally came out and started lighting up the houses around her.
I just had to go out into her back yard to snap a photo or two. After five straight days of dark gray skies and on and off rain, it was refreshing to see the sun light up the mountains once again.
The one good thing about all that rain will be the spring wildflowers. Hopefully we got the right amount of rain to make the desert bloom.
It rained all day long on Friday which is unusual for the desert. Then on Saturday it was still overcast most of the day. As evening arrived, I was headed to my friend's house when the setting sun made an appearance below all the clouds. The sun put out just enough light to make Camelback Mountain glow. I just had to stop for a quick photo.
I noticed a red glow coming through my windows so I went outside to see what was happening. The clouds that had been hanging around all day were glowing in the southwestern sky as sun was setting.
In the opposite direction looking north, the sky was looking very rosy. I love a colorful sunset and this one fits that description perfectly.
August is a great month for capturing spectacular sunsets here in Arizona. We have plenty of monsoon clouds that build up in the late afternoon, making a perfect backdrop for the sun's light. This one was taken facing directly west where the sun had just slipped below the horizon.
This one was taken looking north. The sun's light was painting the skies in every direction and I was surrounded by this warm, orange glow.
I had my iPhone camera at ready last weekend and took a few shots to share.
Above, I was hoping for a spectacular sunset but that orange glow was all that appeared.
To the right is a tree that spoke to me. I'm not sure what it was about that tree but I felt compelled to take its picture.
I had lunch at a restaurant near me that has a very nice patio for dining but, since it was 113 degrees outside, no one was using it. However, you can see those misters working overtime to try to cool the area down a bit. It wasn't enough to attract any diners.
The Arizona monsoon season may not always bring the much needed rains but it is pretty good at giving us just enough clouds to make some dramatic sunsets. I was at my friends Julie and Dave's house on Friday evening and we were treated to another spectacular sunset.
Turning around and looking in the opposite direction, the sky was full of all kinds of clouds moving our way. Pretty soon after this taking this shot, the wind started to blow and those clouds took on the gray of storm clouds. We didn't get any rain though. There was rain in some of the far reaches of the valley but none for the inner city.
I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today. One city's art collection is featured.
I attended a member opening celebration for a new exhibit at the Heard Museum Friday evening. It's all about the Silverwork done by Native Americans. There were a lot of antique pieces in the show as you can imagine from the dates shown in the show. It was especially interesting to learn about how the different styles of concho belts were designed and used. (If you aren't sure what a concho belt is, check the link for images.)
While I was at the celebration in the courtyard of the museum, I snapped another photo of that Art Deco building next door. This time I captured a brilliant, golden sunset in the lower right corner.
I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today. A visit to an old west town.
It was a less busy weekend than the last one but I did go once again to the Symphony on Saturday night. My friends David and Riley and I went to see Midori play the violin and she was (of course) perfect. She played Korngold's Concerto in D which is a wonderful piece of music. It was very dramatic music to match this sunset.
My good friends Julie and Dave had friends over Friday evening for a wine tasting event. We all gathered in their breakfast room with the men sitting at the breakfast bar and the ladies on the sofa. I was listening intently to the tasting notes when I looked up and saw this fabulous view out that window. I decided to capture it with my iPhone.
A few minutes later, we were waiting to see what kind of sunset we would get. It was an overcast day so we weren't sure how it would turn out. However, at one point the sun peeked through those clouds and provided some interesting light.
I was at my friend Julie's house Tuesday evening and while we were sitting on the patio we noticed some color in the sky. It looked like we were going to have a nice sunset.
As we watched, the color started to intensify.
It was so nice to watch it evolve as the sun kept getting lower.
I was at Julie's to make arrangements for a trip. We have decided to go to New York City in mid-October. Julie attends an annual wine event there every year. It was cancelled last year (as were so many things) and she just received word that it will happen this year with somewhat scaled down attendance. Her mother Glenda and I are going to tag along and fill our days with museums and other explorations. We booked our hotel, our flights and we picked out a couple of Broadway shows to see. Needless to say, I'm very excited! I am itching to travel somewhere and New York is a place with endless options.
We've had some interesting weather the last two weeks and that means we have experienced days of overcast and days of patches of clouds rolling across the sky. When the clouds break into patches, it makes for some brilliant sunsets like this one last Wednesday evening. I ran out and snapped the top photo with my iPhone.
Then I grabbed my camera and took another shot. I don't know which I like better. They both have captured the rippling effects of those clouds very well. I do see subtle differences in color.
They predicted rain for Thursday and this time they were right. On Wednesday evening, the clouds rolled into the valley giving us a spectacular Sunset.
These first two photos are looking southwest where the sun was setting. The top photo is with my iPhone and this one above is with my camera.
Then I turned around a looked north at the mountains. Not as dramatic as the sunset but I like the look of the sky and the last rays of the sun on the mountain. Rain only lasted that one day. Yesterday was back to sunshine.
