Blue Skies

I have a friend in Maine who takes breathtaking photos.  She is able to capture nature through her lens in some very imaginative ways.  I've often marveled at some of her photos of blue skies.  And (in the interest of being honest) I've often thought, "I've never seen a sky that blue...surely she has edited this photo a little bit".  I mean look at these photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14811117@N02/8319252699/in/set-72157624126828921/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14811117@N02/8084274525/


Well, this week I had a light bulb go off in my head.  Every morning from 8:50 - 9:10, I am standing outside the preschool where I work unloading cherubs from their minivans and escorting them into their classes.  It is from this sidewalk that I enjoyed, no reveled, in the lingering Hunter's Moon of October.  It is on this sidewalk that I soak up fresh air before heading into a room full of 4 & 5 year-olds.  It is from this sidewalk that I have been enjoying watching the leaves changing color on the trees that stand so grandly in the woods across the parking lot from me.  It has been a highlight of my morning to look up and just stare at the orange leaves against the bluest skies.  And that's when it hit me!  I've seen this sky before but only in a photo (see Autumn Fire above).

So, I made a point to bring my camera to work with me yesterday to try and capture this vision before it changes to just bare limbs against the sky.

I owe my friend an apology for assuming her photos were "doctored" if only the slightest bit.  I'm sorry, friend.  AND I owe my friend a thank you.  For, I have learned through her photography that even though I am not the skilled photographer that she is, I am capable of doing something she does.  And that is to stop every once in a while and look up.  For it turns out that we do have incredibly blue skies over Virginia.  Just like the ones in Maine.  Amazing.  Thank you, friend.