Toronto Sunrise

Last weekend I was in Toronto...

One of my favourite memories of my visit was the sunrise last Tuesday - the day I returned home.

The magic started at 6:45 AM....

And just got better and better.

But it didn't last long! 

By 7:05, the "fire" was gone!

Pink!

The air feels cooler in the morning these days.

So I'm pleased to still be surrounded by flowers, especially bright pink ones..

August was my "pink flower month" - they seemed to last the whole month through!

And - added to that - I appreciated the occasional pink sky!

What will the colour of September be? Will the pink linger on for a while - before fall colours arrive?!

Beautiful Flowers and Sky!

In the midst of the chaos of our summer - chaos that started with the July 1 flooding of our basement and the subsequent weeks of cleanup"...

I find solace in nature: 

...the flowers I see around me...

... and especially the amazing sky!

My home may look and feel different indoors.

But outdoors, nothing has changed!

Smoky Sky

The past day or two, we've had slightly smoky skies from forest fires in Quebec.

Smoky skies make the sky look pink...

The sun actually looked red - like the photo below - though in some of the photos it looks faded, almost white.

My son and I ran here and there in the yard, hoping to capture the perfect picture...

Some are lovely - but it's impossible to match the beauty of the "real deal" - the beauty of nature!!

Early Morning Sky...

We have reached the year's longest days...

The light of dawn arrives before 5 AM.

These photos were taken by my son at 5:15 AM - sunrise - as he rode the bus to work.

I hate to miss these "gifts" - but I slept through this one!

"I hope you didn't miss this beautiful sunrise," he texted me. "Here are some pictures, in case you did!"

Glad he thought to share!

Summer Dawn

Dawn arrives around 5:30 AM these days here in Ottawa.

Sometimes I happen to see the sky's amazing colours! I took the picture above on Tuesday - through a window.

The following day, my son - on his way to work - sent me these early morning pictures.

The following day, another 5AM view...

5AM skies are amazing!

Day by day, even moment by moment - so different...

Maybe I should set my alarm so as not to miss the dawn!

Oh, That Sky!

A few evenings ago, at sunset, the air suddenly turned pink...

Then red and purple...

It was magnificent!

In every direction - north, south, east and west!

Did the neighbour carrying his recycling to the road notice?! What about the kids playing soccer in the field?!

Such an amazing sky!

The next day, social media was full of photos taken by people all over the city.

Later, when I sent a few of my photos to my daughter in Toronto - she replied that Toronto residents were also posting their pictures of the sunset there...

What a sight that must have been from the air!

How often does a pink-red-purple cloud cover span several hundred kilometres  - or more?!!

Lengthening Days

Daylight hours are increasing...

About 3 minutes a day - now in mid-April.

That adds up to 21 MORE minutes of daylight EVERY DAY than we had a week ago. Forty-two minutes more than two weeks ago.

By the end of the month, we'll have gained more than an hour of daylight EVERY DAY in one month!

Day by day, it makes a difference!

Fascinated by ... Clouds

I remember - as a child - lying on the grass, watching the clouds...

The game then was - what does that cloud look like? A whale? A horse? Look again - it's changing!

I still love to watch the clouds - often through the window... (No bugs crawling on my back!)

But now, after years of taking art classes, I pay more attention to the colours.

Could I paint that?! Sometimes I try...

The passing show of clouds and light reminds me that God is an amazing artist! The colours are always PERFECT!

After my sky-gazing light show ends, I feel refreshed, renewed. (And my blood pressure has gently gone down!)

Cloud gazing - nature's medicine!

Beautiful Sky!

March has drawn to a close...

As I look back on my photos...

I realize that we may have had a lot of snow...

But we also had many beautiful sunrises...

And sunsets ... if I happen to look up at just the right moment!

YELLOW Sky?!

I've never thought of YELLOW as a sky colour...

But sometimes it apparently is!

Looking through my "sky" photos... Definitely bits of yellow here and there...

... though none as strong as the top photo.

According to "Wilki-How," yellow-looking skies can be caused  by storm clouds, dust, pollen or smoke.

I'll definitely be looking for yellow now, too, when I photograph "pink and blue" skies!