Sky Glory

Don called on the way home from work yesterday. "There's a rainbow in the east," he told me. "If you want to take pictures from the other side of the lake, I'll pick you up in a few minutes." Don has a good eye for photographic opportunities, and it's always nice to have a spotter. As mercurial as rainbows can be, I was also grateful that my personal chauffeur had offered to save me a few precious minutes. We drove to the other side of the bridge and clicked a few pictures. In a matter of 3 minutes, it was gone. 

If Don hadn't called, I would have still been sitting at my computer, unaware of the glory in the sky.

Front Row Seats

Late afternoon thundershowers washed over our part of the Ozarks recently. 

 Campers at the park at Theodosia on Bull Shoals Lake 

had front row seats to glimpse God's majesty

brushed over the sky.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

The skies display His craftsmanship.

Psalm 19:1

Linking with Skywatch Friday 

and Tuesday Muse

Thankful For Clouds

Yesterday morning I talked with a friend who had recently moved from Portland, OR,

 to Detroit, MI, and, of all things, she missed the clouds.

I would, too.

The sky here started rumbling in the afternoon while I was picking raspberries.

I hurried to finish, and when I got inside, the first fat drops of rain were hitting the patio.

Wind whipped the trees and the rain intensified, slanting in sideways from the west,

hitting the windows like a car wash.

It rained hard for about an hour,

and when it was over, I went to the lake to watch the sky.

The sun had just opened a window in the clouds,

lighting a rainbow on the opposite horizon.

The vault of the heavens, so recently a flat blue void,

was filled with clouds, each unique in form,

complemented with splashes of color.

I stayed there watching, thanking God for this gift of life,

so fragile and beautiful,

 grateful to see the sky, to feel the rain-washed air,

and thankful for clouds.

 

I stayed until the rainbow faded into a wash of green and purple...

...then disappeared, replaced by glowing orange.

 How great is God--

beyond our understanding!

Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, 

how he thunders from his pavilion?

Job 36:26, 29

Linking with Skywatch Friday

and Your Sunday Best

Morning Surprise

We don't always get what we are looking for.

It's early, and the chance of a good sunrise compels me to load up the car

 and drive to the west side of the lake.  

Barley is eager to ride along in hopes of a morning swim.

At the lake, I lift the hatch and unload my tripod.

Barley races to the water's edge and looks back over his shoulder,

dancing in place until I throw a stick for him to retrieve.

It's a good arrangement; he gets a few retrieves,

and I get a few pictures.

The sunrise is a pretty one, but it won't make the year's top 10.

  

Scattered raindrops spit from the sky and I figure the shooting session is over.

Turning to go, I stop dead in my tracks. 

The bright ribbon stretching across the sky holds me there, gasping in wonder.

We don't always get what we are hoping for.

Sometimes we get more.




God's glory is on tour in the skies,

God-craft on exhibit across the horizon.

Psalm 19:1

Linking with Skywatch Friday

Morning Color

Before sunrise this morning, the sky was brilliant, and across the lake a few drops of rain teased the thirsty ground.  To the south, a rainbow appeared, so I followed it and set up in front of Cookie's Restaurant to take a few pictures.  In the western sky, rows of cotton ball clouds were tinged with pink.  From the restaurant, I could hear the early breakfast crew exclaiming over the beauty, and before long, the intoxicating aroma of bacon drifted out on the breeze.  The brilliance was short lived; by the time the sun appeared, the orange sky was replaced by a flat blue-gray, and the pink clouds and rainbow had faded away.  If God can pack that much beauty into a small amount of time and space, imagine what He will do with eternity.

Morning rainbow

Chasing Rainbows

I'm not a storm chaser, but I do occasionally chase rainbows.  I hadn't anticipated a chase this morning.  Don was out early fishing with a friend, and when I popped out of bed and checked the sky it looked like there might be a good sunrise.  I dressed hurriedly, scrambled to get Barley in the car and load up my camera and tripod, and drove to the other side of the lake.  The wind was out of the north, and a mass of dark, angry clouds filled the southern sky.  To the east, a sliver of sky above the horizon was cloudless, so Barley and I got out of the car and waited.  Waves lapped at our feet as we walked along the water's edge, and a spattering of raindrops blew in our faces.  The beautiful sunrise I had hoped for didn't materialize, but a faint rainbow appeared, so it was back across the bridge to catch a better view of the rainbow.  As it turned out, it wasn't the most spectacular one I've ever seen, but every rainbow is a gift, and every rainbow holds a promise. 

And God said, 

"This is the sign of the covenant I am making 

between me and you and every living creature with you, 

a covenant for all generations to come:  

I have set my rainbow in the clouds, 

and it will be the sign of the covenant 

between me and the earth.  

Never again will the waters become a flood 

to destroy all life.

Genesis 9:12,13 

Treasures

A small drizzle escaped from the clouds this morning as the sun peeked over the hill. Camera over my shoulder, I headed for the hollow with Barley. The shower intensified as we got to the bottom. I stuffed the camera under my vest and we followed the creekbed up as far as the first pool of rain-dimpled water. Barley got a drink, and we headed home, but not before I garnered a couple of interesting rocks, and caught a glimpse of a faint rainbow.

Treasures abound.

God... richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 

1 Timothy 6:17