Sky Watch Friday is a photo meme with photos of sunrises, sunsets, blue skies, gray skies, pink skies, dark skies and any other kind of sky posted by bloggers all over the planet.
Last week my family and I had a fun time skiing the Berkshires. My focus was more on skiing and my family than on getting great photos, especially since: 1) it was cold 2) the skies were mostly gray 3) skiing is more of a tactile sport; you spend a lot of concentration (or at least I do) on getting good form and traversing the slopes and 4) did I mention it was cold? It’s hard to take photos with two layers of gloves on your hands.
My boys are getting quite good at skiing. I think they might be two dots far ahead in this photo.
In the summer, the Berkshires are a fabulous source of cultural activities: Tanglewood (classical music), Jacob’s Pillow (modern dance), museums and theater. Great skies all year round (even when they are gray).
This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. (Exodus 12:2)
I learned this week that the Chinese calendar is like the Jewish calendar, as it follows the moon, but it has a correction, a leap year of some sort so the holidays stay in the right seasons. So some bloggers this week were wishing me Happy Chinese New Year while others were wishing me a good month (it was the beginning of the Hebrew month of Shevat). It occurred on the same day because of the moon.
In this week’s parsha, the moon first becomes a symbol of hope and renewal for the Jewish people. There are many Jewish laws (halachot) regarding the sighting of a new moon. In the days of old, witnesses who saw the new moon would set fires on a string of hilltops to let neighboring and far communities know of the new month. Now we follow a calendar.
Note that God’s symbols, as presented in the Bible, are generally elements of nature: a tree, a rainbow, a rock. The Bible imbues these natural elements with meaning, and each symbol is intended to give us strength to face the challenges that arise.
So when the pharaoh’s rage is unleashed as he is threatened with the last of the ten plagues—the death of all firstborn Egyptian males—the Israelites are told to look to the new moon.
It does seem strange, that amidst these plagues, the concept of Rosh Chodesh, the new month, is introduced.
Rabbi Meier continues:
The new moon silently speaks to them of renewal, of a new beginning. The moon returns each night to light the darkness, changing its shape, waxing and waning, only to rise afresh after a cycle of twenty-eight days. It speaks to them of the cyclical nature of life.
Just as the Israelites are getting ready to leave Egypt, they are given not only a symbol of hope but also a reminder that life is like the moon. It, too, moves in cycles. In the worst of times, it is important to remember that there will always be renewal.
The cycles of waxing and waning, of trust and mistrust, of intimacy and distance, of joy and despair, are all normal. A great deal of unhappiness in this world comes from our refusing to acknowledge this simple fact. When things are going well, we want to hold on to those feelings of happiness and bliss. But happiness gives way to sadness, as it surely must. And we suffer needlessly, agonizing over the realization that happiness, once achieved, cannot last forever. In the midst of our disappointment, we forget the moon will rise again, bringing joy once more.
The great figures of the Bible understood that we need “down” cycles in order to have “up” cycles. Thus, even in the worst of times, they were never immobilized by despair. They used the dark moments to change, to grow, and to move forward.
I am trying to get my daughter to do her homework without my help. Except she won’t even start it unless I am sitting next to her. In an effort to pay as little attention to her as possible while she worked, and noticing a lot of RED, I took photos of her and her environment.
Necklace of beads in a cup holder in my car
The Thursday Challenge photo from last week was of a junk-jewelry necklace belonging to my daughter that seems to have found a “home” in the cup holder near the driver’s seat of my car. I looked at my camera settings for the two photos, and the only difference seems to be shutter speed, 1/40 for the experimental and 1/50 for the boring, shows you exactly what it is photo.
Since last week I posted a gazania flower, this week I am featuring a gaillardia (also known as a blanket flower), taken at the same farm back in September.
Today’s Flowers is hosted by Luiz Santilli Jr. Thank you, Luiz, for this lovely and fun meme.
“EXPERIMENTAL” (Interesting Photographic Effects, Failed/Strange Photos, Blurry, Overexposed,…)
(any guesses on what this is? I’ll post a “clearer” photo next week.)
Sky Watch Friday is a photo meme with photos of sunrises, sunsets, blue skies, gray skies, pink skies, dark skies and any other kind of sky posted by bloggers all over the planet.
I took these photos of the American Sycamore trees on my block at sunset one day.
I took a photo of this flower in September, and I would love to grow it in my garden. It looks a lot like gaillardia, but those don’t seem to have stripes like this flower. I believe it’s a gazania (thank you, Sara!) in the asteraceae family.
Today’s Flowers is hosted by Luiz Santilli Jr. Thank you, Luiz, for this lovely and fun meme.
Sky Watch Friday is a photo meme with photos of sunrises, sunsets, blue skies, gray skies, pink skies, dark skies and any other kind of sky posted by bloggers all over the planet.
Last week I noted two wonderful Sky Watch posts: Guy in Regina and Carletta in West Virginia. Guy wrote: “I’m sure glad I had my camera while I was driving down Lakeshore Drive…” and Carletta said: “As I look through the branches of the big old oak tree often I catch a glimpse of the sky and know a sunset I wouldn’t want to miss is about to happen. Traces of pink in this image were enough to make me grab my camera last Thursday as I was looking at Sky Watch posts and head outside.”
I wanted to share with you a bit of how I get photos. Two of my three kids take art classes across town with Jill, so I’m often driving from the North side of Highland Park (where I live) to the South side (where Jill lives). It seems that this driving is often around sunset (at least in winter). So on the particular day that I took these photos, I had a few minutes before I needed to pick up my daughter, and I headed over to the high school to see the cupola (see above) and its sky. On my way, I captured the moon (see top photo).
I enjoyed the pinks and blues on top of the high school, but I realized that I had to rush to get my daughter on time.
On my way in my car to get my daughter I need to cross Raritan Avenue. I photographed the above while waiting for the light to change. You can see by the upper right of the photo that I’m taking this through my windshield.
Once my daughter was in the car with me, we re-crossed Raritan Avenue. A quick glance down Raritan toward the river and New Brunswick displayed a powerful, colorful sunset. But I decided to head over to the back of the high school with my daughter. This is what I caught in the back.
Here’s my six-year-old daughter’s contribution to this post (she took this picture).
In contrast here’s how the high school and cupola looked this morning during a brief snowfall.
Sky Watch Friday is a photo meme with photos of sunrises, sunsets, blue skies, gray skies, pink skies, dark skies and any other kind of sky posted by bloggers all over the planet.
