7 June 2010: The Calm Before The Storm

A stormfront moving through - I love a good thunder and lighting storm!

4 March 2010: The Right to Bear Arms

I have driven by this dome many times in my life and always assumed it was some kind of church or cultural building. I was very surprised when I started doing some research on it that it was the home of the Colt Firearms Manufacuturer. When I drove by it yesterday, I finally decided to figure out where to get closest to it to photograph it. You can read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_Armory

9 November 2009 Photo: Blues' Clues

Just some blue glass...we have a lot of it around our house.

5 November 2009 Photo: Bad Moon Rising?

Last night was the first night I have slept in a bed in over 3 weeks since getting to my bed upstairs is problematic with my broken foot. This was the view from my hotel in Springfield this morning...sun rising with the moon still high in the sky.

30 September 2009 Photo: Spire In The Sky

During an outdoor fair today, the skies were grey and overcast for most of the day. When it began to clear and warm up, this spire at Simmons College caught my eye.

15 September 2009: Mid Life Crisis

What is the verdict...mid-life crisis purchase or he won the lottery? Either way, it is a pretty cool car!

1 September 2009 Photo: Smooth As Glass

Today marks a couple things...my first day back out on the road for work and beginning my 9th month of doing this blog. As I was driving to Vermont, I drove through the Adirondack State Park and found this serene scene along the way. It was just so peaceful since no one was out and about yet and I had it all to myself!

16 August 2009 Photo(s): Fields Of Gold

I went to the sunflower fields in Camillus again this year. I went several times last year when they had the sunflower maze. This year, since there has been so much rain and less sun, the flowers did not get as tall so I think they decided just to have these amazing fields of gold. They were still gorgeous but not quite as tall as last year and no maze. But if you are looking for a cool place to see thousands of sunflowers, the Veterans Memorial Park in Camillus is the place to go. It is free to park and walk around and the flowers are at their peak right now.

14 August 2009 Photo: Stars And Stripes

Metal flags make a lot of noise when it is windy!

7 August 2009 Photo: Polka Dots & Stripes

I just liked the different patterns on the pots.

4 August 2009 Photo: Sailors Take Warning

Is the saying true?

In order to understand why “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning” can predict the weather, we must understand more about weather and the colors in the sky.

Usually, weather moves from west to east, blown by the westerly trade winds. This means storm systems generally move in from the West.

The colors we see in the sky are due to the rays of sunlight being split into colors of the spectrum as they pass through the atmosphere and ricochet off the water vapor and particles in the atmosphere. The amounts of water vapor and dust particles in the atmosphere are good indicators of weather conditions. They also determine which colors we will see in the sky.

During sunrise and sunset the sun is low in the sky, and it transmits light through the thickest part of the atmosphere. A red sky suggests an atmosphere loaded with dust and moisture particles. We see the red, because red wavelengths (the longest in the color spectrum) are breaking through the atmosphere. The shorter wavelengths, such as blue, are scattered and broken up.

Red sky at night, sailors delight.When we see a red sky at night, this means that the setting sun is sending its light through a high concentration of dust particles. This usually indicates high pressure and stable air coming in from the west. Basically good weather will follow.

Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning. A red sunrise reflects the dust particles of a system that has just passed from the west. This indicates that a storm system may be moving to the east. If the morning sky is a deep fiery red, it means a high water content in the atmosphere. So, rain is on its way.

The above is from http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/weather-sailor.html

14 July 2009 Photo: Regressing To Childhood

I was moving some things around in the garage this morning (recycling old work catalogues) and found some bubbles. I couldn't resist especially since it is breezy outside and the skies are a gorgeous blue.

28 June 2009 Photo: Eating Out

In looking for today's photo, I noticed this leaf that appears to have been dinner for an insect or two. The blue skies and the sun beaming in provided a great subject but I hope the bugs have gotten their fill of my tulip tree leaves!

8 June 2009 Photo: Growing Garden

I just love this time of year. The gardens are growing and changing everyday. I have spent a lot of time enjoying our yard this year for a couple reasons. It has been a gorgeous late spring/early summer and I have not had to travel for work during these few weeks for the first time in years.

It's amazing each year to see what pops up or grows bigger. We have lived in our house for almost 4 years and this is the first time the rose bushes have had buds on them. The irises have more blooms than ever. The oregano keeps coming back bigger and bolder. I just have to stop and admire this natural beauty! We have not had a lot of rain recently so I had to water flowers this morning and saw this photo op.

20 April 2009 Photo: Morning Stillness

I am up in Vermont for a few days and am rediscovering the wonder of the area. I lived and worked in VT for 3 years right out of undergrad. I learned a lot about the myself all those years ago and have fond memories of the people I met here.

Now,I get to visit a couple times a year for my cuurent job and each time I am here, I think that I could live in Burlington. It is a great city and reminds me a lot of Ithaca (where I lived for 10 years). This morning I went out for a drive and stopped in a few places to take a walk. Lake Champlain was calm this morning and no sightings of Champ this morning.Who knows...someday I may come back.

9 April 2009 Photo: Glowing Global Glass

This morning when I walked out side, the sun was hitting the stained glass earth my sister JoAnne made me a few years ago. It was almost glowing. Because of my job, I am able to travel to many amazing places and encourage college students to study abroad. I am a firm believer that we should all explore new places whether it is the next town over or on the other side of the globe. The more we understand about our neighbors, near and far, the better off we will be (in my opinion). Ok...stepping off my soap box before I am pushed off.

11 January 2009 Photo: Three's Company

We went to see Slumbdog Millionaire yesterday and one of the storylines was about the book The Three Musketeers. Do you know that name of the original 3 musketeers? I thought I did but I was wrong. Anyway, go see it! It was a great story, cinematography was wonderful and characters were interesting.