On the forest floor, green leaves begin to change color as summer ends.
Autumn is nearly here. Mornings are chilly and dew-dripping. Breezes freshen and the air feels drier, seems more transparent. The earliest touches of fall color are showing in the trees and even on the forest floor. Nights are noticeably longer. Autumn is nearly here and there are signs all around.
A portion of a full-spectrum rainbow and traces of concentric rings grace the eastern sky.
The skies began clearing this evening after a day of dull, gray clouds and occasional light rain. As I was driving this evening the sun began shining brightly from behind me and ahead, against a backdrop of dark cloud, a rainbow began to appear. As the sun grew brighter, so did the long, colorful arc — a full bow across the eastern sky. Of course there was little opportunity for a clear view of the spectacle so, at my first opportunity, I pulled into a parking lot, whipped out my Canon PowerShot G11, and made a few exposures of the brightest part of the rainbow. The colors were unbelievably intense and the full spectrum of visible color could be seen — most unusual! Traces of concentric bows could also be spotted but the bright bands completely dominated the scene. As I watched the colors began fading from the northern section of the rainbow, intensifying in the southern part — behind wires, trees, and buildings; the show was over for me. I’m glad I stopped as soon as I could. I’m a sucker for ordinary miracles.
Peaceful scene on the West Branch Columbia River.
It was a cool, wet, and foggy morning in Northeastern Ohio today; sometimes that’s all right. This sight on the West Branch Columbia River in North Olmsted caused me to abruptly pull off the road, grab my camera, and shoot a few photos in the light drizzle.
A Beach of Her Own
A Beach of Her Own: One way to secure your place on the beach is to go there when nobody else wants to. This woman was sunning herself today at Huntington Beach in Bay Village, Ohio. The wind was brisk, out of the north (across Lake Erie), with air temperature of about 65F degrees. Personally, when I used to sun myself, I preferred cool and quiet to basting in my own sweat with people cluttering up the place!
The charming Learned Owl Bookshop in Hudson, Ohio
I paid a visit to Hudson, Ohio Wednesday morning. Before meeting a local gallery owner, I took a quick personal photo walk on the city’s main street; I’ll be providing a photograph for auction in October in a gallery event benefiting local breast cancer support services. Among the many small stores in the old business district is the charming Learned Owl Bookshop. The quirky little shop has (so far) survived Borders, B&N, and Amazon. Here’s hoping for many more years of good reading from this place!
Stepping out the back door produced a wonderful view.
Lately the sky has often been a splendid combination of open and cloudy. Great, puffy cumulus clouds bloom all around and, with enough open sky between me and them, offer wonderful profile views as they evolve against a blue background. Today was especially interesting as thunderstorms passed to the north and south of my vantage point. I ducked outdoors to shoot portraits of the towers drenching towns to the south. At lunch I made for the Lake Erie shoreline mostly, I must confess, to see if I might glimpse waterspouts. No waterspouts but a heavy storm was away out over the lake and the water had a strong green coloration. Beautiful cloudy skies and a green lake made my day a happy one.
An intense thunderstorm passes to the north.
Dark clouds obscure the morning sun.
Trees clings to a cliff overlooking Lake Erie.
Around 1:00 this afternoon I found myself on cliffs overlooking Lake Erie. It was a wonderful time and place to enjoy the 70-degree (F) fresh air blowing in from across the waters. At land’s edge, trees cling to the soil and live full lives as the ground around their roots gradually abandons them. In the far distance, appearing to be on the horizon, was an ore carrier steaming from east to west; the blue expanse of the lake made the big boat look tiny, easily lost amongst the shallow waves.
Steaming westward on Lake Erie.
Clouds move in over Lake Erie’s deeply colored waters.
A quick visit to Cahoon Memorial Park in Bay Village, Ohio, Friday gave me a wonderful view of the changing weather. It was lovely and warm near the lake midday. Cold and rainy later. The skies and the waters reflected changes that have already taken place, and those about to occur. It was all good.
Cumulus clouds over electrical substation.
It was not storm chasing but my drive this evening certainly was interesting. Lately conditions have been ripe for cumulus clouds to billow up in the late afternoon; contrasted against a clear, blue sky they make dramatic scenes. Last night’s billowing took on the appearance of a pair of clouds that needed a brassiere! I’m not kidding! Sorry, though, I couldn’t get a photo of that! Sometimes you just can’t find a place to get >>that<< shot and it gets away. During tonight’s drive, however, I watched as a column of cloud gradually built up, then flare out. Nearly frustrated in my efforts to get to safe and good vantage points, the cloud stayed together just long enough for me to catch it at a couple of stages. The first open space with a good view was at an electrical substation. I actually like the shot of all those lines and towers crossing the building clouds.
Across the highway, over the barrier, above the trees.
Next came a stop along the freeway. Looking across the asphalt canyon and over the “sound barrier” and trees beyond, I could see that the top of the cloud column was being flattened out; strong winds must be at work. Was this a thunderhead or anvil cloud forming? Briefly, as I continued my drive, I saw lenticular shapes develop, then quickly disappear at the windward end of the column.
Towering and spreading over a modern subdivision.
Another opportunity presented itself in a subdivision. By then the cloud had really spread out to the north. I like the way the enormous billowy shape towers over and threatens to engulf the pretty houses below!
I continued my drive, watching traffic and glancing at the mushrooming cloud. By the time I reached another open space, the shape was feathering out. No storm was born. No longer of interest. Not storm chasing but It was a most interesting drive.
PhotonStopper 