sunset. wish. love.

One of the few things I love about winter is the sky. The dance of bare branches against the dying light always moves me. I often wish upon a winter sky. These are the quiet days, until the earth is once again warmed and comes back to life...

when we had rest

"Be still, my soul, be still; the arms you bear are brittle,   

Earth and high heaven are fixt of old and founded strong. 

Think rather, -- call to thought, if now you grieve a little,   

The days when we had rest, O soul, for they were long."

A.E. Houseman

the burning cathedral of summer

"I walk without flinching through the burning cathedral of the summer. My bank of wild grass is majestic and full of music. It is a fire that solitude presses against my lips."

~Violette Leduc, Mad in Pursuit

wordless

108°F here in New Jersey last week. Need I say more? ;)

bring me the sunset in a cup...

"Bring me the sunset in a cup,
Reckon the morning's flagons up
And say how many Dew,
Tell me how far the morning leaps—
Tell me what time the weaver sleeps
Who spun the breadth of blue!

Write me how many notes there be
In the new Robin's ecstasy
Among astonished boughs—
How many trips the Tortoise makes—
How many cups the Bee partakes,
The Debauchee of Dews!

Also, who laid the Rainbow's piers,
Also, who leads the docile spheres
By withes of supple blue?
Whose fingers string the stalactite—
Who counts the wampum of the night
To see that none is due?

Who built this little Alban House
And shut the windows down so close
My spirit cannot see?
Who'll let me out some gala day
With implements to fly away,
Passing Pomposity?"

~Emily Dickinson

oh, won't you stay...

... just a little bit longer. Spring approaches. :)

day is done

I'm loving the sunsets lately, with the tracery of bare branches against the sky at dusk. Can you spy the bird's nest in the tall tree on the right?

I shot this one evening last week. Both my kids ran out the door with me and up the road to the baseball field, where we could see the beauty spread out before us. I like it that they will take the time to enjoy a beautiful sunset. I think I raised 'em right. ;)

november sky

A few leaves still cling to the sycamore and maple trees, but for the most part, November skies are all about lines. The empty branches trace a story against the evening light -- hurry home, the sun has fled, the day is done.

the dying of the light

It's this time of year that always reminds me just how important light is to life, to happiness, to well-being. I cannot imagine what life was like before the advent of electricity, when the dying of the light was a profound, real and inescapable part of every day.

November Sunset

I thought I would take a respite from the mist pictures today. This was the sunset on Friday night, as seen from our backyard. My husband called from work to tell me to look at the sunset. And as I started to shoot all the pretty colors, a group of Canada geese flew across the sky. When I was little, the sound of these geese always drew us from the house to watch and wave them on their way south. They were truly harbingers of the coming season. Now they seem to live here year round, but I still love to hear them as they make their stately progress across the autumn sky.

the sunset caught me

“The sunset caught me, turned the brush to copper,

set the clouds

to one great roof of flame

above the earth.”

Elizabeth Coatsworth

light is all

"From within or from behind, a light shines through us upon things, and makes us aware that we are nothing, but the light is all."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
When in the morning light I wake,
Teach me the path of love to take.

March

Awake, thou wintry earth -
Fling off thy sadness!
Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth
Your ancient gladness!

~Thomas Blackburn

Wordless

I've got no words today, so I'll just leave you with this glowing sunset. Happy Thursday. :)

Monday Wishes

"This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, Love to complete your life."

Author Unknown

Skywatch Friday: I Love Sunsets

My kitchen window faces west, so I get to enjoy autumn sunsets while cooking dinner. There are lots of trees on the horizon that get in the way, though. So when I see the beginning of the show, I grab my camera and run upstairs where I can shoot through a window in the hallway.

Dinner tends to be a little late at our house. ;)

Please visit Skywatch Friday for terrific images from all over the world.

Skywatch Friday: Autumn Sunset

It's been such a long time since I've joined Skywatch Friday! My daughter was sitting at the kitchen table doing her homework earlier this week, when she called out to me to look at the sunset.

Wow. This has been such a colorful autumn -- beautiful leaves and skies, too. I can't help feeling like it's a great last hurrah before the cold and colorless winter to come. :(

Please take a moment to visit all the wonderful images at Skywatch Friday.

The Beauty That Is To Be

“Lord of the far horizons,

Give us the eyes to see

Over the verge of the sundown

The beauty that is to be.”

William Bliss Carman

Sunset on the Water

One of the best parts of vacation is not having to make dinner every night. One night we had dinner at a restaurant overlooking the water. This was the view of the sunset. Delicious!

The food was pretty good, too. :)