Clouded Days or Starred Nights?

Recent sunset - from Tower Park

I feel like I haven't written about clouds in a long time! God's changing fingerprints on the heavens never cease to be astonishing, and I've lately seen some glorious prints on that great canvas in the sky.

As much as I also love trees, here in the city I often cannot see the clouds for the trees--especially the sunsets. I keep trying to find a street with a higher elevation or a clearer view. And of course, a camera lens cannot capture the breadth, the depth, the expanse of the dome of clouds.

I guess I need to get out of town more!

I stopped by Tower Park on my way home the other day and caught a glimpse of a sunset, but it was still framed in trees and disappointing.

Without clouds, sunsets (even over Lake Michigan) are not that interesting. But with too many trees, they cannot be observed at all!

The last two days have been hot, sunny and cloudless, with bland gray skies. I was out after dark in the backyard last night (planting 3 colors of those new Bounce impatiens from the church flats into a big pot, in the cool of the evening) and I could see bright lights in the clear sky.

I wish I could see starry skies like I experienced on late summer nights on my childhood farm. It was light out until 10 PM in June and there was no incentive to go to sleep early, so I occasionally engaged in late night stargazing in the dark countryside, especially during meteor showers. Farmers typically didn't light up their yards back in the day so darkness was total. I can't find that kind of dark in the city.

Occasional stargazing from the deck of my aunt's cottage overlooking Lake Michigan was always great. I don't get there any more now, since she passed, and since the summer weeks are all rented out to people I don't know.

If I had to pick, I would choose blue skies and fluffy white cloud formations over dark starry nights, even with skies obscured by West Michigan's many trees.

I do look up a lot, but try to limit my viewing while driving.

Too bad I did not drive to my high school class reunion (yeah--you know, the big one) this weekend. I don't really care so much to see old friends, but I would have seen a lot of country sky.