"Vanishing Point"~Community Photo Challenge 080711

This is the walkway at the south tufa at Mono Lake, CA.  We arrived late one cloudy afternoon in June of this year. We weren't sure what kind of sunset we'd see and were pleased to see a beautiful, orange one later in the day.  "Vanishing Point" for Community Photo Challenge, August 2011. To see this challenge, please go to:  http://communityphotochallenge.blogspot.com/2011/08/community-photo-challenge-vanishing.html

"Sunrise"~Sunday stills Challenge 080711

Sunrise today at the Desert Springs Marriott in Palm Desert, CA, out by the flamingo lake.  Sunday Stills Challenge for August 8, 2011.

And the skies opened up~SkyWatch Friday~080511

This was an afternoon thunderstorm up in our local mountains this week.  The desert floor got some sprinkles a couple of times, but not the amount of rain that our mountains did.  We've had afternoon thunderstorms for several days.  I always enjoy these afternoon storms and I frequently drive up into the mountains to just sit and observe and listen.  Those are the Santa Rosa mountains and this is up in the pinyon forest.  SkyWatch Friday for August 5, 2011. To visit SkyWatch Friday, please go to:  http://skyley.blogspot.com/

"C" is for clouds~ABC Wednesday~080311

We've had 4 days of thunderstorms here lately. They are coming up from Mexico and it's monsoon season.  I took a drive up into our local mountains yesterday during the storm.  It was POURING and there was lightning and thunder. We had another desert thunderstorm this afternoon and then it should be clear for several days.  "C" is for clouds...ABC Wednesday, August 2, 2011.  To visit ABC Wednesday, please visit:  http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/

Lone palm tree and thunderheads

We woke up to a cloudy sky yesterday and by the afternoon, thunderheads were developing over our mountains to the south and also over the Colorado River.  We didn't get any rain, but from our house in Palm Desert, I could hear thunder rumbling through near our local mountains.  Today is even more cloudy and I'm hoping that by this afternoon we'll have a thunderstorm and some RAIN!!!   Photo taken at Desert Springs Marriott, Palm Desert.

Our thunderheads~

I awoke early this morning to a morning sky full of clouds.  It was a beautiful sunrise...pinks, oranges in the clouds...ahhhhhh....OUR monsoon season has finally arrived!!!  And, by noon, they were developing over our local mountains.  We have rain(!) forecast for the next two days ...(possibly...).  It's always a guess here in our desert.  Our monsoon storms come from the south, up over the Santa Rosa mountains from Mexico.  If I look out and see clouds over those mountains, and they are thunderheads, I'm pretty sure a summer storm is on its way.  And, that is happening this afternoon!  FINALLY!!!

Arizona thunderheads~SkyWatch Friday~072911

Looking north from Cave Creek, we saw these thunderheads developing one afternoon.  By early evening, the thunderstorm had rolled closer and we could see lightning and occasionally heard thunder.  We love going to Arizona during the monsoon season.  We didn't have any thunderstorms here in our desert last summer and this one isn't shaping up to be much of a monsoon season either.  SkyWatch Friday for July 29, 2011. To see other skywatchers, please go to:  http://skyley.blogspot.com/