Sky Watching 2012

Black clouds hover over the salt marshes

It was only this year that I've started watching the skies more avidly than before. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I've been lucky enough to have a great view of sunrises from my front window. I also walk at the park right by the salt marshes and I often watch the planes coming in to land at SFO. It's a wide open space and there's an unobstructed view of the sky. One day while walking along the trail, I espied black smoke in the horizon. Then I heard the sounds of sirens and police cars speeding to the scene of the fire.

Since I walk around the park after work, I'm often rewarded with breathtaking sunsets.

Bay Area sunset

The sky is a canvas in progress. Cloud formations change so quickly that by the time I pull out my camera from my handbag, I've lost that particular scenario. It's a little tricky to take pictures while driving unless you're at a stop sign and the train is passing through so you're waiting ages for the light to turn green. Here's one I took at the stop light. I used my old IPhone to take this image. This is what came out.

Cirrocumulus clouds

And when dark clouds gather, rain is just a whiff away.

Dark clouds over the Central Valley

I woke up early the day after Christmas and watched the sunrise. It was so different from the warm and fiery sunrises of summer. The sky was grey and cold. But it was still a marvel to watch.

Sunrise - December 26, 2012

"The sky is the daily bread of the eyes." Ralph Waldo Emerson

"And I am well nourished by it." Me

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Images by Charie

The Fairy Tale Town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rothenburg ob der Tauber has been on my travel bucket list for years. And I finally got there last November. It is an enchanting place. With its half-timbered houses, clock towers, colorful façades, schneeballs and beer steins, Rothenburg ODT oozes with medieval charm. It's no surprise that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I was partially filmed in Rothenburg ODT. This is a common dilemma in Rothenburg ODT. Which direction to take? It's hard to choose because every cobblestone street seems to be competing for the best dressed street award. And they are all winners in my book. After walking half a day, an inviting table for two with colorful flowers to warm a cold November day. I love how these two half-timbered buildings anchor a street that leads to another intriguing square. The Plönlein (Little Square) is the most photographed square in Rothenburg ODT. But I found more picturesque neighborhoods than this. That's ...

Midnight in Paris Movie Locations

It's not often I watch a movie but on a long flight home late last year, I had the chance to watch Midnight in Paris and was totally captivated by its plot. Can you imagine time traveling to the era of Fitzgerald and Hemingway, Picasso and Dali, Gauguin and Toulouse Lautrec? It was therefore such a treat to be in Paris and be able to see a couple of the locations from the movie. Had so much fun figuring out where the Peugeot came from to pick up Gil (Owen Wilson) and take him back to the Jazz Age. Rue Galande Rue Galande is a narrow street lined with boutiques with engaging window displays. Notice the giant flea sculpture above one of the shops. This location was shown at the beginning of the film. Interestingly enough, Rue Galande is a stone's throw from the bouquinistes along the Seine and across from the Cathedrale de Notre Dame de Paris. The Steps of St. Etienne du Mont This is where Gil was sitting, a little disoriented, when the Pe...

Casapueblo and Carlos Páez Vilaró

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