Sunsets and rainbows

We walked Darcy the other evening when the sun was behind some clouds. Just as we got home, the sun broke through and looked intriguingly bleary.

As the sun set, it started lighting up the clouds above it.

Some rain began to fall, and Don called me out to the porch to see the results: A stunning rainbow in a full arc. (It was actually a double rainbow, but the second rainbow isn't really visible in the photograph.)

The colors, especially at the ends, were brilliant.

The last shafts of sunlight also lit up some clouds overhead, which lent an orange-y glow to the entire landscape.

A couple of evenings later, long after we had returned from our evening dog walk, I glanced out the window and saw this surprising development.

A few minutes later, it got even more dramatic.

Sunsets and rainbows.

A little evening color

Our weather has been kinda "blah" lately. Fog, clouds, a bit dreary ... typical January stuff.

Here's a layer of snow over the leaf bin, which looked rather artistic in its composition.

A dove perched on a fence post, doubtless waiting for me to fill the feeder.

After a fresh snowfall, bird tracks were everywhere.

Along with a few doggy paw prints.

But yesterday evening a ray of sunshine pierced the gloom just before the sun went down. It lit up a snow-covered pile of dirt.

To our surprise, it also illuminated a full rainbow. The vast majority was almost too faint to see, but in one spot over a hillside, it was brilliant.

It was so unexpected that we spilled outside to stare at it.

After a few minutes, the rainbow faded...

...but the western sky lit up.

Nice to get a little evening color.

Random pix

Sorry for the silence, dear readers. I've had a nutty week with multiple writing deadlines and lots of things on my plate. So rather than write anything witty (my brain is pretty fried), I'll simply show you a selection of random photos I've taken over the last couple of weeks.

Black-chinned hummer.

Early-morning sunshine on dewy grass.

Busy robin feeding babies.

Some elk watching us from a nearby pasture.

Oak leaves.

For some reason, though, the tree is sporting a few red leaves, even this late in spring. No idea why.

We had this handsome boy grazing in our yard one afternoon.

Potatoes. I took this photo on May 30, so they're even lusher and taller now.

A neighbor's horse, framed by tree branches.

Aftermath of a thunderstorm...

...which left behind a beautiful double rainbow...

...as well as a pretty sunset.

My nuclear strawberries are starting to produce heavily. I'll be picking a generous bowl full every other day.

This was the first harvest. It's ramped up since I took this photo.

Some sneaky robins are enjoying the fruit too.

One last holdout. I figured breeding season was over, but evidently this fellow disagrees.

I removed this spider egg sac lest it get buried during a project. It ripped open and all the eggs were visible.

Poofy afternoon clouds.

Frumpkin, Older Daughter's cat, looking exceptionally cute.

So there you go, some random photos from the last few weeks. Hopefully I'll get all my writing deadlines done in the next couple of days and can un-fry my brain.

Cloudy with a chance of rainbows

The weather report called for only a small chance of rain yesterday afternoon.

That was enough, apparently, for quite a downpour. I won't go so far as to call it a gully-washer, but it was a steady heavy rain that lasted several hours. Just before sunset, the sun broke through and made for some gorgeous conditions.

The sun shone through a small break in the clouds, lighting up all the rain. The result, inevitably, was a gorgeous double rainbow.

The sun shone through the wet trees, making them magical.

If you look carefully, you can see the rain still coming down in this photo.

A herd of deer across the road didn't seem to mind the wet. Not that they had much of a choice...

A shaft of sunlight lit up this little lady.

Mr. Darcy tracked her intently.

The whole spectacle must have lasted fifteen minutes before the sun finally set.

This morning, no surprise, was foggy, though early sun shone through and lit up the yard, including the bird feeder.

We needed the rain, so I'm glad the weather didn't listen to the weather report.