Ball Of Fire

"If you want to see the sunshine, you have to weather the storm," Frank Lane

NORMALLY you wouldn't view the sun directly but last Tuesday morning the atmosphere bordered on apocalyptic so I had to look. The orb's glow was blunted by a smoky haze that settled eerily, yet again, over Greater Vancouver, resulting from persistent forest fires in the interior of BC and nearby Washington. Air quality was poor and pungent, although not as grungy as the camera made it seem in my first two photos. Before going indoors I captured the bubbling, boiling, true blood-plasma colours of the sun for SKYWATCH.

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Crescent Suns Over Crescent Beach

Today's much talked about Solar Eclipse was partial (at 80%) in my southwest corner of British Columbia. It reached its peak at Crescent Beach by around 10:20 this morning when we discovered even a partial sunlight of 20 percent went a long way to keep the day bright. It never got dark and the awesome effects of a crescent sun, resulting from the moon's shadow, were visible only with special glasses ... unless you were looking at the ground and benches.

Not only the bench but shadowy fingers were littered with crescent reflections.

I didn't look but pointed my camera in the sun's direction ...

risking the health of my camera taking the shot above without proper lenses.

Mostly, it was fun to walk on the tiny scatterings of moon shapes everywhere.

Sometimes a multitude of crescents, bunched up together, made the flat sandy walkway look like a bumpy trail of clouds gathering on a stormy day.

Someone brought a sunflower umbrella in honour of the occasion.

Although such grand events in the sky come along only once in a while, there's plenty of daily wonder beneath our feet to keep the young and young at heart busy and enthralled. I'm guessing the kids (below) missed the entire show because they were building their own spectacular event.

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To see more sights from around the globe visit OUR WORLD at the sidebar. This post will also be linked to Weekend Reflections and Skywatch Friday.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

150 Years Young, Canada!

IT'S CANADA DAY eve and the red leaf flutters over clear and cloudy skies.

Hooray to Canada for being such a wonderfully diverse and peaceful place in which to live. Not only is it "strong and free" it includes stunning views, interesting people from around the globe as well as geographical challenges for people who love to be physically inspired. Climate and terrain vary across ten provinces and three territories that span some 4,000 miles from sea to sea. Celebrating 150 years of Confederation, Canada is a giant-sized toddler gaining strength along the way while holding true to its values. There is room for improvement, of course, but among nations Canada is poised to do the right things not only for itself but for the world.

I was pleased most recently with Canada's involvement in the Paris Accord and also its welcoming stance on immigration from war torn Syria.

My parents immigrated to Canada before I was born. Learning a new language in unfamiliar circumstances wasn't easy and life was harsh but my mother said becoming a Canadian citizen was one of the proudest happiest moments of her life.

Mom didn't live long enough to meet my daughter but I know she'd be especially proud to hear her sing "O Canada" a cappella with school friends years ago. I listen the song each Canada Day. Enjoy!

See more skies from around the globe at SKYWATCH.

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

They Go Low, We Go High

HOW REFRESHING it was to look up and see rust coloured autumn leaves fluttering over the roof recently.

Although it's easy to feel low when mired in politics, a cotton candy pink sky put current events into broader perspective while a leaf, stuck on a branch, appeared ready to fly in the morning light. Meanwhile, plants gone to seed burst like stars onto the scene overnight.

It's not quite what Michelle Obama had in mind when she said, "When they go low, we go high." But it was uplifting to look beyond the noisy chatter into what nature does continuously without fanfare every single day. See more horizons from around the globe at Skywatch.

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Beneath The Full Moon

BENEATH the wires, roofs and trees I felt small marveling at the full moon recently. Darkening clouds veiled the moon as it hovered over the street like a sleepy eye looking dreamy in the nighttime sky.

See more skies from around the globe at Skywatch.

Postscript, 26/02/2016:
I belatedly dedicate this post to Ontario blogger Tina, also known as East Gwillimbury CameraGirl. I am sad to say that she and her husband, Tom, passed away suddenly in an automobile accident on February 22nd.

EG brought light, beauty and “glitz” to every scene with her words and pictures. I will miss her presence dearly.

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Hot In Alaska, Pt 6: Sunrise To Remember

THE BRIGHT GLOW through the curtain in our suite on the ship must have woken me from my comfortable sleep. I checked the time to see it was not quite five o'clock in the morning. I pulled back the curtains to discover a powder blue sky draped over the sea. With no obstructions, it reminded me of a prairie sky.

It was eerily quiet when I stepped out onto the balcony. The only sound I could hear was the gentle lapping of water against the moving ship.

No haze or pollution marred the scene.

Pinkish clouds rushed towards puffs of dark clouds. Their drifting changing patterns transformed into two birds with large wings and long beaks. The birds flew towards one another.

Soon more sunbeams stoked the embers in the smoldering clouds.

A golden sheen poured over the seascape softening the horizon and making this dreamy Alaskan sunrise one I will not soon forget.

Links to each of my Hot In Alaska cruise posts are as follows:
Pt 1: Setting Off From Vancouver
Pt 2: Settling Into The Noordam, Melting In Juneau
Pt 3: Skagway & The Historic Route To The Yukon
Pt 4: Margerie Glacier Interlude
Pt 5: Picturesque Ketchikan
Pt 6: Sunrise To Remember
Pt 7: Service With A Smile

See more skies from around the globe at SKYWATCH.

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle for more BC scenes.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Sometimes You've Just Got To Look Up

IMAGINE HUNDREDS of kites along the beachfront, each with unique hand-drawn pictures, flitting up to the sky like birds.

Busloads of kids were pulling the strings and having a wonderful time during their Crescent Beach field trip.

Dry warm weather and a steady breeze provided the perfect venue for the art show unfettered by ceilings or walls.

The airborne paintings took wing in place of the usual seagulls.

Kites dotted the horizon and flickered like pale distant stars.

They were jittery and as challenging to capture with my camera as the monarch fluttering about the butterfly tree nearby.

Eagles overseeing their realm were no doubt taken aback by so many people and featherless flyers.

It was tricky for some kites to avoid getting snagged in bushes and branches.

Continuing to cast my gaze upward, I spotted silver tinsel stuck in a hole on the siding of a house. Perhaps it was put there by a small bird nesting. Or maybe the owner wanted to attract new tenants to the birdhouse.

Its wind-strewn dance and sky reflections were mesmerizing.

My photos do not do justice to the day. The sun-touched tinsel glittered like a cluster of diamonds and the swarm of kites transformed the sky into a Dali dreamscape.

I would have missed so much had I not looked up.

See more skies from around the globe at SKYWATCH.

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

2015 Starts Off Like A New Pair Of Shoes

THE NEW YEAR stretches before us like 365 bright pennies twinkling with promise of good days ahead. The symbolism of newly minted coins (in Canada, no longer pennies), spotless calendars and reinvigorated resolutions is as buoyant as a new pair of shoes destined to flatten with wear.

Even if hardships and disappointments from 2014 have not faded, hope is often at its peak when life grants us a fresh calendar year. That is when we are more likely to see the world anew as if through the eyes of a child. The picture (above) shows a slushy day brightly conveyed by 15-year-old artist Kyra. Her painting was in a calendar given to me after paying our yearly car insurance fee at the Automobile Association (BCAA). Each month shows a different child’s drawing making it one of the year’s most charming calendars in my view.

Surveying the skies, I spotted these two characters (above) during my New Year's Eve morning walk.

The crows were oblivious to human joy and suffering or the need for footwear.

Each species perceives the world differently, which makes existence deeply fascinating and a tangled mystery seemingly impossible to unravel.

In the evening, I went for another walk to find 2014 coming to a close beautifully and peacefully at Kwomais Point Park.


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Greet the New Year with luscious skies from around the globe at Skywatch.

To see more sights from around the globe visit Our World at the sidebar.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Pondering The Improbable Sky

HIGH UP on a tree branch at Kwomais Point Park an eagle watched the pre-sunset sky.

Clouds rolled lazily over the darkening sea. I wondered if the bird was as spellbound as I was by the grandeur before us.

The horizon was just beginning to turn a rosy hue and infinity stretched out far beyond our view. I thought of the Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield who until recently gazed at earth's sky from his perch in a spacecraft. His fascinating journey increased the wonder most of us share when we stare at the sky.

As science fiction author Ray Bradbury once said, "We are an impossibility in an impossible universe.”

It seems marvelous yet unbelievable to me that random specks of improbable life can not only witness, ponder and explore but also inwardly soar when awestruck by what it sees.

See more impossible horizons from around the globe at Skywatch.

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Wee Cloud Of Calm Drifts Into View

THE SKY WOULD BE like a blank sheet of paper were it not for birds, sun and clouds to fill the empty spaces. That is why I was delighted to see a small cloud suspended in air over the bay at Crescent Beach yesterday. This bit of fluff seemed oddly motionless. In the morning calm it was hard to believe that the wind the night before had been strong enough to break tree branches as well as blow a couple of loose cedar shakes off our roof. Some things are replaceable but others not.

When a storm is minor it is easy to have a song in your heart. But should irreplaceable treasures be blown away or lost, here is a note of inspiration from Rose Kennedy who had inconsolable losses yet was able to say: "Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn't people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them?"

See more skies from around the globe at Skywatch.

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle for more BC scenes.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms