Flower Hill Farm Retreat is fabulously situated facing, from the back, the northeast, east and southeast. Added to the verdant views of Carey and Walnut Hill and the sweeping landscape towards the Mount Holyoke Range, the East Branch of the Mill River runs in the valley below our land and offers atmospheric marvels of mist that sometimes merge with clouds to nearly erase the horizon. The sky above is a large dome offering breathtaking light shows during sunrise and sunset, especially after a storm.
Earlier this week a passing tempest left rainbows and suspended droplets in its wake. I was dumbstruck by the spectacle . . . by reflections of the setting sun, of changing forms, and mantles of mist colliding outside my windows and doors.
A complete rainbow had arched across the sky twenty minutes before this image was taken.
Looking southeast, my wide angle lens makes everything brighter and farther away, but still it is not wide enough to hold the expanse of view outside the wooden clapboard farmhouse.
These frames show only small sections of the hefty sky surrounding our two-hundred year old farmhouse and studios. Floating away towards the northeast, clouds cast out rosy hues as the sun disappears in the west creating ephemeral sky paintings to close the day. What a blessing to witness such beauty, while the night sky is hosting the Perseids meteor showers that dart bright and sudden across jewel studded darkness in all directions and cicadas and crickets create orchestral sound effects within hidden dark green. It is a good thing to keep our eyes on the sky and our ears alert to the sounds in nature. If you would like you can see more Flower Hill Farm Retreat sky and clouds here.
Absolutely gorgeous! It must have been even more radiant in person.
Wow, what a sight it must be to look out and see a storm rolling in over your hills! I see hints of the rainbow there in that shot, but hoped to see the double. Just lovely.