Look At The Clouds...............

     We enjoy watching clouds - there are so many different shapes and colors and as we are learning in weather science again this year, it is possible to tell what type of weather may be coming by watching the clouds. We have learned to tell some things from the clouds, but have so much yet to learn.

     Even if we were not looking at them to watch the weather, we would still look at them because they are so interesting and beautiful. I take many photos of them.........and continue to be amazed at how fast they change and how brilliant they look. Clouds are so amazing and God has made such a variety of them. 

Sometimes the clouds are thin and wispy, other times they are thick and heavy.

Sometimes the clouds are white and other times they are tinged with gray, blue or black.

 Sometimes bits of blue sky show through and other times, the sky looks overcast with no blue showing at all.

Some types of clouds are seen rather seldom, others are quite familiar.










 

 Some clouds build and go up into higher layers of the atmosphere.........some are signs of stable weather and others are signs of unstable weather.

Some clouds are recognized as growing storm clouds....and look forbidding and scary.....

 Some clouds say a storm is coming and imminent.............or they can say that the storm is over.

Other clouds look cheerful, but can still be a sign of changes to come..........

Some clouds are painted with many colors and form beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

Some clouds alert us that we need to put things away, clear the yard of things that can blow around and get ready to take shelter.

Some clouds just look free and inspire us to watch more to see the frequent changes as the winds at different levels blow the clouds around and updrafts and downdrafts rearrange them.







There are so many things to learn about clouds and I enjoy observing and testing the little bit of knowledge I have of them...............and so do my kids.  Is that cloud full of rain? or a sign of nice weather? Is that the cloud that means a change in the weather in the next day? Is that a shelf cloud.....could we have a tornado?  Green clouds? Hmmmm, will we get hail? Fun to learn and to test our knowledge and I like being more aware of the world of nature around us.

Clouds - such fun to look at and learn about - let's keep looking at them.......

Another post with many interesting cloud pictures:
There's a Storm Coming!

Birds Of The Air.......

Birds - we see them so often and many times, I just don't pay attention to them.....but God does.

        "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" Matthew 6:26

What a wonder the wings of the birds are.....all those feathers that work together so marvelously.

                               So many varieties of birds.....our God is amazing.

              I'm glad that God cares about the birds...............and about me......and you.
I hope you know Jesus as your Saviour and are growing in faith in Him. Thanks for stopping by my blog.  Have a great day!

Shared on:


Snickerdoodle Link Party
Foodie Friday and Everything Else
Wednesday AIM Link Party
Wordless Wednesday
Tuesdays with Twist
Modest Mom
Art of Homemaking Monday

Bald Eagles and a walk in nature.......

Last week on the way home from church, we saw bald eagles by the river. It was fun.....and frustrating. It was fun to see those large beautiful birds.....and frustrating to have the trees in the way so we couldn't see very well. 

We watched and enjoyed seeing them.

They flew around and there were so many beautiful pictures we could have taken....if we could have gotten closer and around the trees.

Still, we so enjoyed seeing them......it is not a sight that we see often.

They flew in and among the trees and along the river - we couldn't get to the river as it was on private property on the other side of the railroad tracks.

 We did get some nice pictures, but we wanted to get closer. After trying to and failing, we gave up and went home.








The next day..........after calling a park ranger, I found out about a possible place to go to see them - and it was a park/nature area that we had never visited.

What a beautiful day - a bit chilly, but after the temps below freezing, the nicer weather was wonderful.

We still couldn't get very close, but were glad to find some eagles....they were out on the ice and at least we could see them at times, without the trees in the way.

 

They look so majestic in flight...............

I don't know how long they will be in the area and I suppose they have come here before, but we didn't know to look for them.








The park we went to has nice walking trails that didn't stay next to the water, but there were other interesting things to do and see. My kids and I had a great time walking, climbing and observing.

The day was overcast and cloudy, but the sun came out toward the end. All in all it was a wonderful hike and time out in the fields and woods and along the creek and river.

One oddity was that several trees were growing at an angle, rather than straight up.  Very interesting and so far, we haven't figured out why several of them did this and others didn't. A puzzle.

We enjoyed seeing the bluebirds flitting through the trees.











How thankful I am that we were able to see so many eagles.....and also the bluebirds. It was a nice walk on a warmer day in the middle of winter. We plan to visit this new park again and get to know it in different seasons.  Thank you for joining me and looking at the pictures. Have a great day.


Other sites you may enjoy...................
Image-in-ing
Hip Homeschool Moms
Thriving Thursday

A Beautiful Old Italianate House

I like old houses - I like the different styles of architecture......the interesting designs......even thinking about who may have lived there.  I home school my children and we enjoy learning about many things - including old houses. This is an old house that is a historic house and empty which is why I felt free to take pictures.

                          It is an Italianate style of house from the 1800's. 



 

The detailing is still evident, although it is not in good shape and many pieces are missing. 

The beauty of the house in this rundown condition makes me realize how very stunning it must have been when it was built. 

The bricks seem to be in amazingly good shape for a house that is almost 150 years old. 

    The house has been empty for over 20 years, so the rundown condition is to be expected. Actually, I find it surprising that it is still in as good of shape as it is. 

   
                   Such a nice looking tower. 

 More damage shows in this picture. 

 The wrought iron fence looks to be in pretty good shape. 

This shows that some of the decorative window trims are missing. 

No tours are allowed of this house........and the caretaker has to work vigilantly to fend off those who would trespass or deface and destroy this old house. 

   It is just an old rundown house that will someday cease to exist, but we can enjoy it while it is here. 

What fun it would be to tour such a house, but we will be content with seeing the outside and imagining the inside.  

 I am only posting this as a beautiful old house and example of Italianate styling.

 I very much dislike any talk of haunted houses and though I encourage comments, I will not allow comments that go in that vein.  

  
The house sits on quite a large piece of property and it isn't possible to get close to the house and I would not even consider trespassing. It saddens me that so many people do not have respect for other people's property. It is enough to enjoy the house from the road.

My children and I were intrigued by the little window between the 2 fireplaces on the end as we haven't seen such an arrangement before.












I hope you have enjoyed seeing this old house with me and eventually, I may add other houses.

 I do encourage anyone who also likes old houses or buildings to please respect the owners of the properties and do not ever trespass or damage anything. Recently, I have been saddened to hear of many people......including people who should know better......who think that if a house is empty, it is okay to go on the property or to go inside and look if they don't hurt anything. That is not true. Trespassing is against the law and it is just plain wrong. Sorry to be so strong about it, but I am deeply concerned about the lack of respect for other people and other people's things, that is prevalent in our culture and I refuse to take part in it and I hope that you will also. At the same time, enjoy those beautiful old homes that you drive past. Thank you for joining me and have a wonderful day.

"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them...." Matthew 7:12a




Shared on:


Sunday Snap
Dishing It and Digging It
Snickerdoodle-Create-Bake-Make
Saturday Sparks
Blogger's Pit Stop
Paula's No Rules Weekend Party
Foodie Friday and Everything Else
Vintage Charm
Thursday Favorite Things
Wednesday AIM Link Party
Talk of the Town
Inspire Me Tuesday
Tuesdays with a Twist
image-in-ing
Cooking and Crafting w/ J and J
Modest Mom
Art of Homemaking Mondays