Surprises from the sky
A view of the Monday sunset from Prosper Road in Woodstock, Vt. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
This week, Mother Nature turned it up a notch or two. I’m not talking about the temperatures, or the humidity, but the brilliant sunsets these humid days occasionally brought our way. The epic sweep of colors across the sky, illuminating clouds of all sizes, provided peaceful moments of awe and wonder as the sun gradually rolled back over the mountains and heralded the coming night.
Such an inspiring spectacle brought light to the end of a long day on Monday. Quite literally, the sun, filtered through hazy clouds, basked all our surroundings in an unforgettable pink glow. Nothing was untouched. The siding of our home, the trees, and seemingly the very air itself, carried the same pink-gold that danced on the edges of the clouds above.
A cloud glows pink and gold at Monday’s sunset in Woodstock. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
There were more colors painting the sky, but my wife and I had to drive to capture those. We went to King Farm in Woodstock to photograph the yellow-orange display that was quickly receding every minute, as it illuminated the grass in the fields. A quick drive up Prosper Road revealed one more view of the brilliant but dimming colors, before darkness started to take over.
King Farm at sunset on Monday night in Woodstock. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
At that point, it might have felt like our photo adventure was done. But it wasn’t. I wondered if the haziness had created some more visual magic down in the valley near the Pomfret-Woodstock line. We weren’t disappointed: From where Route 12 meets Pomfret Road, enough light remained in the sky to highlight blue-gray clouds in the distance, making the lower part of the sky look like one, giant rolling cloud that was moving toward us. Dusk, a time of day not famous for great outdoor photos, had created a tapestry of color and effect that would be hard to match.
Rolling, hazy clouds at dusk on Monday along Route 12 in Woodstock. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
The unexpected is what makes nature special; unpredictability is its greatest gift to the artist. On a week when the weather perhaps wasn’t our favorite thing, nature nonetheless has provided visual majesty that appealed to our sense of wonder, and perhaps, made us momentarily forget our cares. As the sun shines through, our thoughts are uplifted and we take that light with us. Indeed, there is light even in the darkest of days. Though we’ve got some rain in the Vermont forecast for the upcoming holiday weekend, maybe nature will surprise us again with a few more treasures for the camera lens. It’s not impossible. Inspiration is always evolving, and more is waiting on the road ahead.
— Gareth Henderson
