Passing Storms

Yesterday was a beautiful chilly day reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest. Most of the day was cloudy, with periods of light rain drizzling upon the Valley, until the afternoon, when there was a break in the clouds allowing sunlight to shine through. But then, in the early evening, when I got out of work, a dark, heavy rainstorm was approaching Tempe after providing Phoenix with a downpour. Above is a picture I took yesterday evening, while waiting for the bus ride home, in which a small patch of blue sky manages to break through the dark gathering clouds of the oncoming storm. Below is a photo I took when I arrived back in Phoenix, showing the storm passing across the Valley. By this time, the sky above South Mountain was completely clear and blue. But this photograph faces north and east and shows a little bit of the "dog that bit us." On the right, where Camelback Mountain is obscured by clouds, is a faint rainbow. I heard that Camelback Mountain actually received some snow, but I can't confirm this until I actually take the bus ride to work and see it for myself. Enjoy the day!

A Day of Sun and Rain

This was a day of rain intermingled with periods of blue sky. Above, the magenta of a sunrise increasingly obstructed by gathering storm clouds. There were a few episodes of light rain today, which ultimately ended with clearing and blue skies, even the faint traces of a rainbow, as seen below, on the right. I have yet to catch a rainbow for a photograph when it is vivid and bright. This rainbow, when I found it, started to strengthen its vibrancy, but then quickly faded away. Next time, as they always say, next time.

A Moment for Pause

During a break in an otherwise wet weekend of rain, the faint traces of a rainbow can be seen forming among a rupture in the gray mass of clouds. I love a good desert rain, especially cool days of rain during the winter months, when a chill accompanies the rainfall as the gray sky presses upon the city. There is a freshness to the scent in the air and the wet desert earth, and a clean, herbal fragrance that floats from the rosemary bushes planted in gardens and front lawns.