How Blue Is The Sky?

The Sky Turns Every Shade of Blue

Dying Cottonwood Tree at Larry Moore Park, © B. Radisavljevic

City Daily Photo Bloggers are answering the challenge this month to show what the color blue represents to them. The first thing that comes to mind for me is the sky. It's always above me, I see it every day, and it's been every shade of blue I can imagine. For any regular reader of this blog, it's no secret I'm a sky watcher. The sky is what I photograph most often.

In the photo above we see a light blue transitioning into a darker blue. It provides a contrasting background to show off the dying cottonwood tree at Larry Moore Park in Paso Robles.

A Deeper Blue

Blue Sky Over My Rose Garden, © B. Radisavljevic

I often photograph the sky in from my own yard -- especially as sundown approaches. I took this shot from the rose garden in my backyard. I'm guessing I took it in late afternoon. I liked the way the clouds were making a horseshoe around that patch of sky.

The photo below was taken before a rainstorm. I also took this one in my backyard. It was taken after our late afternoon meal on a November day. The blues are lighter with tinges of gray in places. I consider clouds part of the sky.

Sky Just Before a Rainstorm, © B. Radisavljevic

I took this next shot while walking the Charolais Corridor Trail at Dusk. Together the clouds and sky provide many shades of blue.

Charolais Corridor Trail at Dusk in May, © B. Radisavljevic

Blue Sky in My Zazzle Wall Art

 Morro Rock, Fishing Boats and the Embarcadero Canvas Print Poster: Tree against cloudy blue sky. Poster

Birds Love the Sky

I find it hard to catch birds in flight. They are usually too quick for me. Here's one I did catch in a very blue sky.

Bird in Sky Over Paso Robles Wine Country, © B. Radisavljevic

Here's a crow I caught in flight.

See the full story behind this photo. © B. Radisavljevic

Usually I can catch birds high in a tree or on a wire. The shade of blue is a bit lighter in this photo of the bird at the top of this oak tree.

Bird at Top of Oak Tree, © B. Radisavljevic

This one is on a high wire.

Bird on High Wire, © B. Radisavljevic

Kites Also Belong in the Sky

The sky was very blue when we found this family flying a stunt kite at Moonstone Beach. I'd never seen a dual-string kite before and loved watching this.





I hope you've enjoyed our sky trek. There are more views of the blue sky in these related posts. Enjoy!

See how other City Daily Photo bloggers posted to this theme. 


Related Posts

Sky Journal with Day of Sporadic Showers: This past post shows everything from deep blues to grayish blues in the sky.

Down by the Station and Welcome Sunshine: This shows how the sky changed from late morning until sundown in several spaced shots on the day after a rainstorm. Lots of deep blue in these shots.

Old Wives' Tale Disproved: Have you bought into this folklore?

First Really Rainy Day This Year

The Weatherman Was Right and it Did Rain Today

It looks as though the roof repairs held, and the garage remains dry. The flowerbeds are wet, as they need to be. And the oak tree across the street is reflected on the sidewalk that leads to my front porch.

Oak Tree Reflection in my Sidewalk on This First Rainy Day This Year

This was no fine mist that barely left a trace. This was a real rain. Listen for yourself.



I like the sound of that, don't you?

The Promise of Rain Was in the Sky Last Night

I took this in the late afternoon.

I took this next one as sundown got closer.

Finally the sun went down, illuminating the clouds that promised rain to come.

Did you enjoy rain today?

See my take on The Blessings of Rain in music. 

See more of my sky photos at ClickASnap. Here's a sample from that album. 

Escape to Beauty: Look Up to the Sky and Trees

I Fled The Roofing Noise into the Beauty Not Far from Home

Yes, this is Day 3 of the roofing repairs. They were supposed to have finished, but obviously they haven't. But no more roofing photos today. There are more beautiful subjects. In the morning I mostly mostly did errands -- shopping, and getting gas. I stopped at home to see if maybe it would be quiet enough to eat lunch at home, but it wasn't, so off I went to Touch of Paso. The food was good, but it was much nosier than usual because of an unhappy toddler, so I didn't get the peace I was seeking. Off I went to the Paso Robles Library!

Paso Robles Library,  © B. Radisavljevic

The Library and Home Again

While at the library I checked the new book shelf and decided to check out one of the Express Books (due in seven days). It looked more interesting than the eBook I was reading. I was quite sleepy after that large lunch I ate and needed an author I know could keep me awake until I could go home, but not one that would keep me up late to finish the book. I chose Debbie Macomber's A Girl's Guide to Moving On. It's about a woman and her mother-in-law trying to help each other through divorces from their unfaithful husbands who had broken their hearts. I got the first seven chapters read before 4 pm, the time the roofers usually leave. I went home to see if the coast was clear. It wasn't. This is what I saw. (Sorry. I said no more photos of this.)

Roofing Repairs, © B. Radisavljevic

On the way home I took the long way to stop and get the mail. Before I got to the mailbox, I stopped to get a photo of one of my favorite oaks that lives near the corner of South River Road and Bridgegate.

An Oak Tree in Paso Robles, © B. Radisavljevic

The Park, the Sky, and the Trees

Before I got to the mailbox I'd also stopped to snap some other trees that I don't normally see before sundown. When I finally saw the roofers wouldn't be leaving any time soon, I drove over to the park, planning to sit and read some more. However, I was still really sleepy and decided I needed to walk off some of that lunch.

The Sky and Trees from Larry Moore Park, © B. Radisavljevic

The sky above the park was full of a mixture of fluffy and gray clouds. It was hard to stop snapping them, especially since they were framed with the park's magnificent trees. It's really hard to choose which photos to show you. I'll stick to sky and trees for now and show you the goats and the turkey vultures on another day. They were a surprise and an added bonus.

The Sky and Trees from Larry Moore Park, © B. Radisavljevic

I wish I could show you this sky as I saw it -- one continuous panorama, changing by the minute as the earth moved.

The Sky and Trees from Larry Moore Park, © B. Radisavljevic

The Sky and Trees from Larry Moore Park, © B. Radisavljevic

The Sky and Trees from Larry Moore Park, © B. Radisavljevic

OK. One Vulture in this last photo.

The Sky and Trees from Larry Moore Park and One Turkey Vulture, © B. Radisavljevic

Even the walk did not cure my drowsiness. Only a complete night's sleep will take care of that. Since I saw that won't be happening tonight, I took a nap when I got home. With all those clouds I'm sure I missed a magnificent sunset, but a girl's got to sleep some time. That will happen after I get this blog posted.

How was your day?

Moss in My Backyard and 2-5-17 Photo Sky Journal

Moss Beside My Back Lawn

Never before this week have I seen moss growing in my yard -- not even on the north-facing part of my property. Let's face it. Moss doesn't grow during a drought. It is, however, growing in my yard now on the east side where the rose garden meets the lawn. It is definitely getting enough moisture to survive for the time being. 

Moss in My Backyard

Photo Sky Journal for February 5

The day began and ended with a gray sky. Occasionally during the afternoon, I saw some blue. When the sky was gray, I seemed to be walking in a cloud, with droplets clinging to me as I moved. 

2-5-17 Photo Sky Journal 11 AM

By 1:15 there were small breaks in the clouds where a bit of blue was visible. 

2-5-17 Photo Sky Journal 1:15 PM

By 3:40, the sky looked almost normal for this time of day. The sun was bright. 

2-5-17 Photo Sky Journal 3:40 Pm

By the time the sun was almost down at 5:15, I was wondering why the rain hadn't started yet. I didn't hear it start to come down until after 7. 

2-5-17 Photo Sky Journal 5:15 PM

I miss having a colorful sunset. 

This Photo Sky Journal began on February 2, 2017, to record the changes in the sky during the day from the same location each day. 

***

Down by the Station and Welcome Sunshine

Down by the Paso Robles Train Station

This afternoon I was just leaving an appointment around 5 PM on Seventh and Pine when I heard the Amtrak train coming into the station. I managed to get my camera out before the train was completely out of sight. 

Amtrak Train Pulling into Paso Robles Station around 5 PM

I walked as fast as I could hoping to get to the depot for some other closer shots. I was in luck. One of the boarding passengers didn't have all her luggage aboard yet. As she was rushing toward the open door, I noticed she had dropped a scarf. I ran to pick it up for her, but she was so flustered about her luggage she almost didn't notice me trying to hand it to her. I wanted to give it to her so I could finish getting my photos before the train pulled away again. 

A Peek throught the Amtrak Train's Open Door

The lady and her escort finally took the scarf and I turned north again to take this photo of the train while it was stopped. Notice the sign for the Paso Robles Depot. 

Amtrak Train Parked at Paso Robles Depot about 5 PM -- Please Pin Me

Zazzle Products Featuring the Paso Robles Train Station

Paso Robles Train Station in Autumn Playing Cards










These products all come from photos I have taken at the Paso Robles Transportation Center (Amtrak train station) in the past.

& 

Postcard: Paso Robles Train Station in Winter PostcardPaso Robles Train Station in Autumn Luggage TagPoster: Train Leaving Paso Robles Station in Winte Poster

& 

Sky Journal February 4, 2017

I welcomed the sunshine today after yesterday's rain. This is how my usual photo spot across the street looked at about 11:30 AM.

Late Morning Sky at 11:30 AM

By 2 PM the scene had changed. You can see the contrail high in the photo. 

2 PM, Fluffy Clouds with Contrail

At 4:20 when I left for my appointment,  the sky looked like this. The bright sun was behind the tree trunk of the oak. 

Sunburst behind Oak, 4:15 PM

When I came home about 5:15 PM, the sun was ready to say goodbye. 

Sun Almost  Down, 5:15 PM

Kind of a mellow sunset, don't you think?

***

Dramatic Clouds and an Earthquake

© B. Radisavljevic

On Thursday afternoon I noticed the sky had some dramatic cloud formations. I thought with  such clouds we would have a spectacular sunset. These cloud photos are from mid afternoon.

© B. Radisavljevic

After taking these sky photos, I went back into the house to continue my work on the taxes, hoping to come back at sundown and get some great sunset photos. When I went back outside, all the clouds had disappeared and there was nothing left worth taking a picture of in the sky. 

I came back in the house and started to do some computer work and then my chair started shaking. It wasn't very hard shaking, but it was an earthquake. While I was looking it up online, my husband called from our Templeton house to ask if I had felt it. He said there was a lot of shaking there. By that time I'd found the site and discovered it was a 3.4 earthquake only three miles from Templeton. Here's the news report from the evening of February 18.

When the 6.5 earthquake struck us in 2003, the Templeton house was also affected much more than the house in Paso Robles, where my mom was living at the time, only seven miles northeast of our Templeton home. This is how our upstairs hall in Templeton, lined with bookcases on both sides, looked when the shaking had stopped. 

© B. Radisavljevic

When we called my mom to see how she was, she had hardly noticed it, yet she was only a seven minute drive away. Such is the way of earthquakes. Personally, I prefer the ground to stay in one place.  How about you?

T-Shirt EARTHQUAKES GET ME ALL SHOOK UP!
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