Clouds circle around as storm builds

This was a look at an interesting circular cloud on Sunday.  The first view was as we were driving home from the north side of Beaumont. and the second was at our house, just moments before the heavy rain started coming down.

Setting sun can't quench boiling mad storm

This was part of the thunderstorm that violently boiled up over our house at sunset yesterday.  The storm dumped about two inches of rain as the daylight faded.

Storm monsters charge at us with empty threats

For the second night in a row, the storm monsters charged at us from the northeast, eating up the sky, but became cold and sleepy before they could dump their left overs on us.

We did get a great dark-falling breeze out of it.

Night-fall boast by rushing storm

This night-fall-rushing front blowing off from a thunderstorm over Beaumont didn't bring any rain for our area, but sure boasted it wanted to.

Ominous clouds can't deliver on rain threat

This was the weather system that blew past our neighborhood last night. Ominous as it might look, it was all bluster and no rain.  The air cooled down to about 80 degrees, and it turned breezy  -- but not even a sprinkle.

Light-saber aloft

Last night, light-saber like, a rainbow picks up just enough of the sun's last rays to pierce the shield of clouds clambering above us.

Storms scatter around us.

This was the big thunderhead that had formed south of us this evening but it may have blown itself out just as the sun was casting its last rays on it. Another storm formed to the north of this afternoon and blew some cool breezes our way, but on a few drips.

The Golden Second

As we went into Logan's the other night, I noticed a bank of white clouds building in the sky. "It would bea great shot," I thought, but was too lazy to go back to the car for my camera. However, on the way out, my laziness was rewarded (the universe is perverse) when we saw the tops of the clouds, catching that last few seconds of orangish-pink rays -- the sun had already set, sicentists tell us, but old Helios had figured away to curve his arrows and sent them streaming through the highest layers of the sky, ignoring the horizon.

I new I had only a few seconds, so I ran to my car and grabbed my glass eye and started shooting. As pretty as this picture is, it only captures a fragment of the beauty - the rays had already climbed halfway up the bank of clouds -- a blow off from a massive thunderstorm that had formed to the east.

You have heard of the "golden hour" right? This would have to be called the "golden second" -- I only got 5 shots off before the gold was gone and night washed in like a tide covering a beach.

Every once in a while God plays with the scenery to remind us that every second is precious. Most of the time we are too busy to watch and let the meaning sink in.
--steve buser

Clounds, sunset, Beaumont, TexasPowered by ScribeFire.

Where does the sun hide?

Sundown is a mystery. How do you turn off something so bright it has burnt a hole in the sky. Perhaps, the sun still lurks out there in the darkness during the night, using its amazing power of subterfuge. Perhaps, it's all a magic trick. A slight of the clouds and the use of veils.

--steve buser

Hope you enjoy this SkyWatch Friday photo. Go to the SkyWatch Friday site to enjoy 100's more.

sunset, Beaumont, Texas, sun, clouds.

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Dusky duel

Before I file these photos away, I wanted to show you one more shot from the other day.  

The sun was really showing off -- looking bold as it played with different layers of clouds during its slow descent.  I'm sure it was really ticking off the darkness -- holding it at bay and taking more than it share of time.   Even as it slipped below the horizon, it was just warming up -- throwing amazing colors from its palette onto the clouds.

The clouds seemed to be indifferent to the war between the sun and darkness.  "Look this is not our fight.  We're just sailing by.  It's not our fault if one of you throws brilliant oranges on us, or the other other cloaks it in dark somber shades."

--steve busr

Fire in the sky

Across the street, the direction that the sunsets, is a row of trees that hampersust running out and shooting a sunset picture. A couple days ago, I found a break in the row, whereI can stand a shoot a pretty wide open sky. This sunset was the reason I found it.

I walked up and down because the sunset was a real blazer. I guess I probably should have ran and not walked. A few seconds before this the sun was really in an inspired mood. It has already slipped below the skyline. I guess the resulting sunset was some wild dream he was having.

Hope you enjoy this SkyWatch Friday photo. Go to the SkyWatch Friday site to enjoy 100's more.

--steve buser

Veiled threat

It's SkyWatch Friday time again --I chose another from a series of shots I took a couple weeks ago on the way home  from work.  The sun was using the low hanging clouds sliding by to practice veil dancing.  Just part of the unusually mild and muggy February weather that has visited us this year.   Go and check out more Skywatch images at the Skywatch Site!

--steve buser

SkyWatch Friday, sundown, sunset, Beaumont, Texas

You give me fever

This was the sky that seemed to be burning with fever the other night, looking out over Lamar University in Beaumont. I walked out and saw this and wished I would have got to my car a few minutes earlier so that I could find the perfect vantage point. As it was, I shot as fast as I can as the sun fought off the fever and began to get drousy.

--steve buser

Go and check out more Skywatch images at the Skywatch Site!

sunset, Texas, sky, clouds, Beaumont

Shadowy solar phantasm

Heading home the other night in Beaumont. The low clouds were zipping by -- giving the sun a chance to play hide-and-seek with anybody who wanted to stay still long enough to be in the game. He was trying on a dozens of masks. I pulled over and shot a bunch of shots until the sun had gone down so far there wasn't much light. That-wasn't-much-light time was a lot early than you would think.

--steve buser

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sunset, nature, clouds, sundown, sun, Beaumont, Texas, E-510

Do not spindle.

How willing would you be to assume that the cloud shape overhead was just an accidental formation as the clouds swirled around?

I walked outside and saw this one day back in November.  I then ran into the house and grabbed my camera and started shooting.  I'm still perplexed what it was all about.  Despite what you see, it didn't seem to be spinning rapidly.  At least it wasn't spinning any more rapidly that anything else in the sky which look more like a ocean full of splashing clouds that a sky.

This is a SkyWatch Friday post.  Hundreds of other bloggers post sky-based photos each Friday
Go and check out more Skywatch images at the Skywatch Site!

--steve buser

weather, sky, clouds, severe weather.