After the Storm Night Sky

Our balcony faces west. We wanted to face in this direction because I love dusk and sunsets. We haven’t been able to sit out on the balcony as much this summer because it has been too hot and stormy. And that was the case over the last couple of days as the hurricane Debby remnants passed through our part of the country. And as is typically the case after snowstorms and rainstorms, the sky seems to always change dramatically from the horrible to the beautiful. And I feel such a great sense of relief when it’s over. I’m not one for storms and hurricanes and tornadoes and lightning and thunder. So I am always happy when these weather events pass by quickly. Last evening was another case of the calm after the storm. My view from the couch shows the sky as it changes from dusk to dark. And oftentimes I take photos of the sky. My husband doesn’t understand what’s so remarkable about it. In fact when we were in France one summer our hosts were stupified that he had no interest at all in looking at the Milky Way. There is something magical and calming for me at this time of the day. 

Views From the Balcony

When we moved to northern Virginia over two years ago from Capitol Hill, one of the main requirements was to have a west exposure. I am an evening person, and my favorite time of the day is dusk. My husband, on the other hand, prefers the morning. In spite of that, when the weather cooperates, we often times like to sit on the balcony in the evening to play mindless digital games on my iPad and also take in the view. With all of the terrible rain storms lately, the opportunities have been limited, which is why the sky looks even more outstanding than usual. I remember as a youngster lying in the grass, looking up at the clouds, and creating magical figures out of the puffy fluffs floating by. There is something soothing about being able to sit outside and taking in the fresh air - especially during a pandemic. So, every evening brings about a different vibe and we are never disappointed. 

A Day to Remember

My dad died on Father's Day. The things most important to him were his 21 years of service in the Coast Guard, serving in WWII, being around water, and moving us all to Florida when he retired. He will be buried in his Coast Guard uniform. As difficult as all this is, my parents arranged for all their funeral plans ten years ago making it all so much easier because all the decisions were already made. So yesterday when I looked up at the night sky, the moon was brilliant with Venus sitting next to it. In the distance in the opposite direction was a show of lightning and thunder. I could only imagine how often my dad looked up from on board a ship and saw these same sights. Yesterday morning was a brilliant sunny sky. My dad would have liked that. The night sky was a little sad and was mourning along with me. My dad had a good life and left everything in perfect order and I'm not a bit surprised.