A Big Sky
I have a three acre piece of sky. It mirrors our three acres of green earth. It’s a good size for looking at the stars at night, but because our property is nestled in by trees, big firs and tulip poplars, I can’t see the sun when it sets.
But I need a big sky. When I’m under one, I breathe easier. If I go too long without one, I begin to feel bottled up.
On most evenings when the weather is good, I walk down my gravel driveway, under a canopy of trees. By the time I reach the mailbox, the sky has opened up, pouring light across the Blue Ridge Parkway landscape.
But I still can’t see the sunset. I have to walk the top of Hope Road for that. Sometimes Joe and I walk hand in hand with our dog, Jasmine, scouting ahead.
On the way up, we hear gunpowder shots, timed to go off to scare the deer out of our neighbor’s pumpkin patch. The crickets drone and the grazing cows look suspicious. If we’re quiet we can hear the creek along Morning Dew. Maybe a truck meanders across the washboard dirt road and we wave.
The evening sky is a canvas of living art that changes from moment to moment. I love the play of light on the clouds, the mix and spill of fiery colors. The sun’s brilliance creates an afterglow, the color of my favorite amber beer. It makes me feel relaxed, as though I’ve been sipping it.
August 23rd, 2006 6:40 am
Great post!
I really liked the line about the “big sky”; I was born and raised here in the Southern Appalachians, and now travel quite a bit for work. I’m just the opposite of you; when I spend more than a week or two under a prairie sky, or out in the western desert, I tend to get a bit panicky, sorta like a cottontail bunny caught without a blackberry thicket to hide in. I do love me my mountains, that much is certain…
Anyways, I really like your blog – keep up the good work!
August 23rd, 2006 8:32 am
Your place sounds so gorgeous. Is it okay if I have a little teensy bit of envy? 🙂
August 23rd, 2006 9:02 am
I felt the same way, Ron, when I was out west, driving through Kansas and camping there on the way to Colorado – a sense of panic at having no cover. My big sky here is not THAT big. I started to love watching the sky and sunset walking the beach by my mother’s house, and have been trying to find that same feeling here.
August 23rd, 2006 9:57 am
We are surrounded by tall trees and I can’t see the sunset either. I’d have to drive more than 3 miles down the road before I can see the sunset (over a shopping center). Somehow, it isn’t the same…LOL
August 23rd, 2006 10:46 am
I too love the big sky–but having spent a dozen years out west, I never considered the Applachians as having truly “big skies.” Yet I love the way the Blue Ridge appears from the distance at dusk–when they seem so smooth and peacful.
August 23rd, 2006 11:09 am
The big sky is one of the main things I miss in New York. I only see patches, between buildings, and I can never see anything but the faintest of stars.
August 23rd, 2006 12:27 pm
I totally agree! I love just watching the clouds over the pasture. Unfortunately we too have our sunset blocked by the trees (my other love) Sometimes we walk up the road and sit on a grassy knoll to watch it but I so wish I could see it from the back patio!
Luckily we get some beautiful sun rises if I am ever up that early!!!
August 23rd, 2006 4:19 pm
I, too, breathe easier under a “big sky”. I love your reference to “sipping the afterglow”…although for me it would be amber tea!
August 23rd, 2006 5:50 pm
I have that same big sky here on my island…no matter where I look. It fills me with tranquility and I’m constantly taking deep breaths…to try and contain it within.
August 23rd, 2006 10:12 pm
I wish I were there…
August 23rd, 2006 10:43 pm
I once wrote a poem, long forgotten, describing the sky as “copenhagen blue.”
I wonder if the skies are blue in Denmark?
August 24th, 2006 2:15 am
It sounds so peaceful and beautifyul Colleen….I wish I were there right now!
August 24th, 2006 11:38 am
Painting landscapes has helped me figure this out. The color relationship of the land, water, and sky alone are a challenge. Then there is the drama of the sky. Then the drama of the water and land. One big drama.
August 30th, 2006 7:04 am
Hi Colleen, I came over from Fragments – It sounds like Floyd is a wonderful place to live! We are in the Appalachians also – north GA, but the Blue Ridge Parkway is one of our favorite drives. There is nothing like looking out over the mountains to soothe your soul.
Enjoy your blog!