Pictures, Memories, and Goal for More Pictures in 2022 to Help with Blog Posts

Beautiful Sunset on 12/5/2022.

Leaving work one evening, I looked out across the Washburn University campus and it was so beautiful, I had to snap a picture. Captured the color of the sky, the lights of Winter Walk, and I could not resist taking a picture. What a way to start December with beautiful scenery as I am leaving work. I remember driving home that evening and I could not take my eyes off of the western sky as it lit my way home. Reminded me of all of the perfect sunrises and sunsets I saw as I went to and from work in 2021 (see January 2022 post). One of those where I know it is happening all the time, but I am not in the right location to see the beautiful sky when it does happen. 

I am trying to take more pictures which will certainly be a goal for 2023. How many times have I seen something and walked away thinking I should have taken a picture. It happens all the time and so I am trying to change and have actually been increasing my picture taking the past few months. I want to keep it going into 2023 though and take even more pictures. Doing so allows me to use pictures I take for posts and I can often times wrap around a story to the picture. The pictures also allow me to go back and review what we did during a specif week, month, or year as I find that I do that often these days reviewing the almost 9,000 images on my Flickr Account. The same pictures are synced to my iCloud account, so I see many pictures on my phone, desktop, and iPad throughout the day.

Oliver Sleeping and Warm Face

As you can imagine, there are a lot of pictures of our dog, Oliver. We take pictures when watching television and look over and he is sleeping. The one to the left Carrie sent me one day when it was cold in our house and he was sleeping, but keeping his face warm in the blankets. Poor guy cannot get warm enough in our drafty house. So, there he is on my Flickr page for my memories to see over-and-over as it continues to display for me over the next few months on my various devices. Seeing these pictures makes me smile and can help to bring a calm during a stressful day when pictures of our dog display on my screen saver of my phone.

Here we are a week out from Christmas Day. So much to do before next weekend both at work and at home. Short week for work, so that will be good. Looking forward to seeing family, friends, and enjoying some time off of work.

Have a great week before the holiday weekend!

Amazing Kansas Skies in 2021 and Off to a Spectacular Start of Skies in 2022... Be Sure to Watch for the Beauty!

Taken January 5, 2021

I have lived in Kansas for almost 50 years and I have seen some beautiful sunsets as well as some beautiful sunrises. I am not sure why, but 2021 and so far in 2022, the views from nature have been spectacular! I cannot count the times in September, October, or November where I would be leaving work and found myself in awe of the setting sun. The 2021 year started and as I was driving into work to start 2021, I saw the image to the left of the sky above the Indoor Athletic Facility on Washburn University campus. Wow! Throughout 2021 the views were amazing from being on campus to our camping trips, nature did not disappoint!

Sunrise from Washburn Campus

On Tuesday, January 4 to start the new year I noticed the sky looking incredible as I left the house. My commute from home to work is short (less than 5 minutes), but I was tempted to pull off to take pictures. Instead, I continued my drive and arrived at work to find the sky was still looking amazing. Pictures really do not do it justice as it was the entire eastern sky that was lit up in the pink glorious colors. The picture to the right was taken from Morgan Hall looking over Bennett Computer Center on Washburn University campus as I was preparing to walk into the building to start the day.

Taken by Erin of Jan 4 Sky

My sister-in-law, Erin, took pictures and we usually get pictures when the skies looking amazing from my brother-in-law, Greg, that we send to the whole group in a family text thread to share what we are seeing. The image to the left was taken by Erin on her way into work that morning. Again, just amazing and awe inspiring.

The question could be asked if I am noticing the beautiful sunrises and sunsets because I am up at those times whereas I was not in past years. I do not believe that to be the case. I have been getting up early for work for years and of course seeing the the sunsets happens throughout the years, but what nature has been showing the past few months have been incredible! If you have not been able to catch one of these events, I encourage you keep an eye out for one when it occurs. Sometimes this can be difficult if you are not outside, but well worth it if you are able to see it with the naked eye on not through a camera.

Photo by Greg of Jan 4 Sky

Greg took the picture to the right the same morning on January 4 as he was driving to work. This photo is looking over the Washburn University campus from 17th and Macvicar. The photo taken by Greg shows much more of the sky of what we were seeing that morning as it seriously stretched from north to south on the horizon taking up the entire eastern part of the sky in a bright pink. I saw others on social media posting about it too that morning after I got into work.

I look forward to see how the skies of Kansas work to impress for 2022. So far after the January 4 epic skies, the Kansas skies are off to a great start and will have not problem beating out 2021 with impressive skies.

Be sure to keep an eye out on the skies when out and about no matter where you are located especially dawn or dusk to catch those rare views we do not get to see often. Enjoy!