SkyWatch – Getting Ready to Face the Day

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Sky Watch – Look Up!

Even on gray days, looking up can fill your eyes with beauty!

I couldn’t get close enough to id the smaller bird but was impressed with it’s bravery.

For more skies – gray or otherwise – go visit Sky Watch Friday®

SkyWatch Friday: Something in the air

Watching the sky

Being a birder means that I tend to look up more often than I used to before.  And, the Sky Watch Friday site has also helped me to appreciate the sky in new ways.  I find now that my pictures have more sky in them than before.

On our trip home, we stayed a couple of nights in Buellton. It’s a small northern Santa Barbara County town that is little more than a roadside stop. For us, the allure is Flying Flags RV Park. For many others, it’s Pea Soup Anderson’s famous pea soup and the proximity to Solvang and the Los Olivos wine country (as seen in the movie Sideways). And, we enjoyed those things as well.

Our first day there, we did a little drive around Los Olivos which is a delightful but awfully trendy town.  We tasted wine and looked at horses and even popped into a couple of antique/garden/home decor shops.  Thankfully, we left with our wallets lightened only by a couple of bottles of wine.

The next day, Greg broke out his maps and found a DRIVE for us.  We drove up into Los Padres National Forest, up a road that winds in and around Figueroa Mountain.  And, what a drive it was.  Amazing views.  Even more amazing wild flowers.  Birds galore.

And skies!  Oh, the skies.

For more breathtaking skies, visit Sky Watch Friday®.

Sky Watch – Vultures

Do you see that tiny speck coming in from the left?  My son did and knew exactly what to do.  He came and got me . . . good birds are worth disturbing mom.  Plus, he had a plan!

Where there is one vulture, perhaps there are more.  There was no time to waste.  He flew (ha!) into action.  Or rather inaction.

He knew that Vultures like dead meat so the threw himself to the ground and pretended to be dead!  That’s me boy!

As you can see, it worked!  He lured in a total of six.  My husband was saying useful things like, “If they land, don’t let them start peeking out your eyeballs!”

They rode around on the warm air currents of the late afternoon before flying off into the sunset, sans 9 year old boy eyeballs!

And, what a beautiful sunset it was, too.

soar
into
view . . . vulture
carcass on the ground
may not be as dead as it seems
call your friends to check
there’s no death
alas!
soar

©2009, Liza Lee Miller

Sky Watch: Elkhorn Slough

When the sun comes out after a foggy day . . . it is more brilliant, more dazzling.

For more clearing skies, Visit SkyWatch®!

And don’t miss the latest I and the Bird!

Skywatch – Wishful Thinking

Despite the recent grim and gray, I remember more delicate skies.

Visit more skies, both delicate and bold at SkyWatch® Friday.

Hope of Spring

A leaden gray sky
flutters of delicate pink
Who can see the sky?

For more hopeful skies, visit SkyWatch® Friday.

Also posted at Spring Haiku 2009.  Enjoy!

© 2009.  All Rights Reserved.  Liza Lee Miller

Raven Story – Beginning, Middle, and End

The beginning . . .

The middle . . .

The end . . .

For more gray winter skies, visit Sky Watch Friday.

70 MPH Sky Watching

Between storms, the California skies are beautiful and awe-inspiring.  Worthy of pulling out the camera and taking dozens of shots at 70 mph.  Oh, don’t worry, I wasn’t driving . . . just snapping lots of pictures.

For more inspirational skies, visit Sky Watch Friday.