Road Trip Passenger Seat View

From Virginia to Ohio, through West Virginia in between. It’s a little more than 350 miles. Sunday afternoon and the holiday weekend travelers were on the highway. A tractor trailer had overturned and rolled through the median- you could see the jersey barrier broken up and then the missing guard rail along the other side of the highway.on Route 77- all traffic on the road was actually stopped for a time

Thunderstorms, lightning, magnificent clouds, sunlight behind clouds, wet pavement and teaming rain, then some bright sun for the weather report.

Shooting through glass is never ideal. I got to be in the passenger seat this trip. Good to be back in Ohio with the family, safe and sound.

Ravenswood Trailer Park

Ravenswood Bridge connecting West Virginia and Ohio a two lane cantilevered bridge

Driving Over the Ohio River on Ravenswood Bridge

Side of a truck trailer parked, taken through the driver’s side from the passenger seat

Clouds and smoke at dusk

Smokestack through the driver’s window

Nelsonville Ohio Information on the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway if you are thinking of taking an old fashioned train ride

Hail Stones and Shifty Weather

Sun, clouds, half sun, half clouds. Thunder. Lightning. Still some blue sky.

I don’t usually report on the weather but my sister and I have relocated to the midwest and with a flat terrain, it’s different to experience weather with a giant bowl of a sky overhead instead of jigsaw puzzle pieces of sky, broken up by buildings and trees and land.

Maura got a penny so we could compare the size of the hailstones. She called it the “ice show”

The kids ran around and collected them and put them on the concrete drive. Steam rose from the asphalt after the storm as the temperature had been so hot.

The newest addition to the family – Airedale Terrier puppy Henry.

Here is he checking out the hailstones.

Late Afternoon Ohio Sky

Tall shadow at dusk

Hail Storm in Zagreb Croatia- Guest Post

In my email this morning-

Dear Mom,

A hail storm broke out in Zagreb today and my friend Maja captured it with her iPhone from her 9th floor office. She was a little bit reluctant to be blogged, but she had this to say about the picture : “It looked so great and it made me so happy that I wanted to share it.”

And it reminded me of the sentence from the film “American Beauty” – “Sometimes there’s so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can’t take it, and my heart is just going to cave in.”

I think that quote is a great motto for us to live by. You and your blog do a great job reminding us all of the beauty that surrounds us every moment of every day, so I knew what to do with Maja’s picture right away!

Love you,

Matty

Thank you Maja for sharing your beautiful photograph of the hailstorm from the ninth floor window and thanks Matty, too.

Woke Up, It Was a Foggy Morning

My sister and I were on the phone and she had just asked me about my seeing things to photograph and am I always on the lookout for a good photo and I said I think I take fewer pictures now, that I am not obsessing about getting a decent shot blah blah blah and THEN-

And when I got to the red light at the end of the Liberty Bridge before the tunnel, I saw the fog enveloping the PPG building except for the pointy towers peeking through.

I opened the back window and took a quick shot.

On the way to school the next day I didn’t get a red light so no photo.

Day three! A red light and another quick pick of the city without the fog.

Flowering Pear Blossoms Fall Like Snowflakes

There were thunderstorms and heavy rains. then it cleared a bit.
As I pulled out of the school parking lot, a strong wind came up and the blossoms swirled and fell like snow.

Sure Sign It’s Spring

Bloomfield Bridge Tuesday afternoon waiting at the red light I looked next to me and saw a vision.
Top down on a shiny brightly colored convertible.
A definite change in the weather and I took it as a sure sign that Spring is finally here. (it’s a Murano by Nissan).

Pyramid of LED Lights on the Gulf Tower, Change with the Weather

Dear Blog Readers,

Thank you for the thoughtful expressions of sympathy, your comments and emails yesterday, on the passing of Murphy the Airedale.

It means a lot to the whole family to read such an outpouring of love, care and concern. Your words offer comfort and understanding. xxoo Ruth

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

For years the Gulf Tower Building ( built in 1930) had a beacon that displayed the weather- red lights for fair or blue lights for precipitation

Now The Gulf Tower has a fancy installation of programmed LED lights that change with the holidays, sporting events and special occasions but still tell the weather at five minutes before the hour. The combination of lights can produce any color.

Designed by Cindy Limauro, professor of lighting design at Carnegie Mellon University and husband, Christopher Popowich, partners in C&C Lighting LLC.

Thinking Spring. Seriously!

Even though the weather is NOT cooperating, we won’t speak of ~~w#&*#r~~, cause it is SPRING!!! (Dear Groundhog Phil, You were wrong wrong wrong)

March 20 was Mr. Rogers’ 85 anniversary of his birth and Pittsburghers were sporting sweaters to remember him. And sweaters were just what everyone needed in the city- Yesterday AND today! Not sure about the sneakers.

When I looked out and saw ~~snow~~ coming down I was glad I’d baked apples in the oven to warm the kitchen.

After supper the family called on Face Time and I got to participate in Jack’s birthday and the other grandma (and Pap) were on another iPad FaceTime so we saw each other watch the birthday boy open his gifts. It got pretty wild when Matty called in on SKYPE from Croatia onto his brothers device He joined in the fun and we all watched as Jack opened up the No Stress Chess his Uncle Matthew had sent to him. It was a deviceful family event this evening as Jack turned 6 today.

Helps to have all these communication possibilities available when you live out of town.

The wooden rabbits are from Germany when we lived there. I took them to school and some of the students arranged them to take pictures, make a card. And I saw them set up on a wooden stool at the front of the classroom and I took a quick photo myself as they were looking at me as I got ready to go home.

You can see the pull down screen behind them. They look Spring-like to me!!! (Just don’t look out the window.)

Vernal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere- 7:02 AM

Spring!

We are eager for it to begin. In earnest.

Monday there was a two hour delay due to ice, snow and sleet. It was unexpected and I heard it on the radio as I was already driving to school.

Can we trust the groundhog? Phil said it would be an early Spring. Well Phil, it’s Spring tomorrow on the clock and calendar but it feels like WINTER today. Chilly and gray. We are ready for blossoms, muddy earth, warm breezes. Saturday I saw my first robin in the back on the porch post.

Now I know, no one reads the blog for the weather report but the change of seasons is significant. We just want to be reassured that a true Spring is coming and will warm us up. SOON. (Florida readers- I saw those photographs of you in short sleeved shirts!!)

Before school I stopped in at the Giant Eagle and bought this bouquet. I took the daffodils to school for the students to photograph. They were buds in the morning and by the afternoon they had opened.

You can see the set up with the background of folded white paper to eliminate clutter. When I was ready to go home and the lights were off, this is what I saw.

Just received from a Florida friend who is visiting friends in Boston-First Day of Spring.Thanks Kristin — Just received from a Florida friend who is visiting friends in Boston-First Day of Spring.
Thanks Kristin

Guest Blogger’s Response to Yesterday’s Waiting for Spring Post

Okay Aunt Bobbie (the one who gave Anna the Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls). Bobbie saw my almost Spring post of the flowering pear trees and then sent me a photo for the blog today. YIKES!

I was so hopeful. Just when I was thinking of how the earth will warm up and the buds and blossoms will burst. I was counting the days until Spring, ready for the winter to be OVER!

I love it when someone is inspired by my photos on the blog, though. Even if it is a snow photos. Well more that just any snow photo.

21 inches of snow in Kansas City in a week!!!

(Chicago John, this one is for YOU, too!) For everyone shoveling and plowing and hopeful that it will just all go away….and SOON.

(Rob, you must be so glad you moved out of Northern Illinois to Florida this year. Kristin, how was Hawaii? Sue, you enjoying Spring training in Bradenton?)

Thanks Bobbie for the photo today. Where are the crocus?

A p.s. to Aunt Bobbie’s picture

Two more responses, this time from faithful blog reader ROB

writes to

Ruth,

After seeing your blog I wanted to share these photos. The first photo is from a traffic cam showing my “old” office in the background and then I immediately went out and shot (with my trusty iPhone) the photo out our back yard, probably less than 2 minutes apart. I sent these back to my old office staff just to show them the “real reason” I moved from Northern Illinois…just in case someone really needed proof. Needless to say I got varied comments. Thanks again for challenging all to see life through “a different lens”.

Love ya,

Rob

Brrrrrr.

Reminds me of a song that my Music Monday Maestro might find….

“Button up your overcoat, when the winds are free. Take good care of yourself, you belong to me.”

Tag: weather