So you haven’t been into space lately? Who has?
This week’s Sunday Stills theme is “out of this world” which can be described as something extraordinary looking, food that tastes super-delicious, or things that might look otherworldly. My examples show images depicting things that are odd, cosmic, celestial, or a bit alien. Many are from my archives and have been shared before.
Just before Christmas in 2017, we gawked in disbelief as SpaceX soared “over” my mother’s home in San Diego!
But sometimes we can capture images that look “out of this world,” whether an interesting abstract…
a photo gone bad… (My two-headed hummer)
or perhaps a macro or close-up image that looks otherworldly. The glowing green rocks and trees are from a close-up of a fire ring at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe Resort and Casino.
How about showing us some night sky shots? Or moons, eclipses, sun-flares, or other cosmic phenomena that look strange to the naked eye? Did anyone get a good shot of Jupiter and Venus lined up?
Perhaps you can show us something “out of this world” like a strange encounter caught by your lens or an unusual vacation spot.
The sky’s the limit…or IS it?
“Look…Up in the Sky…!”
Here is a gallery of varying moon shots taken over the last few years. If you are looking for peace and quiet, an evening spent viewing the night sky can be a peaceful experience.
“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” 1 Corinthians 14:33. “He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.” Psalm 147:4
Back Here On Planet Earth, Peace and Order
“If you don’t know the guy on the other side of the world, love him anyway because he’s just like you. He has the same dreams, the same hopes and fears. It’s one world, pal. We’re all neighbors.” —Frank Sinatra
ORdering Up peace on a baja beach
My first trip to Mexico in 2010 was kind of an out-of-this-world experience for me. I travelled internationally for the first time and alone. Overall the flight to Guadalajara was nervewracking and the connecting flight on a small hopper plane to La Paz felt disorderly, but I mananed to take a short nap. Once Hans met me at the airport and we drove into La Ventana (Baja peninsula on the Sea of Cortez) for two weeks of windsurfing, there was plenty of peace to be had.
a spacey structure in downtown spokane
Downtown Spokane’s Pavilion was erected for the 1974 World’s Fair. It is a large, very recognizable landmark in Riverfront Park even today.
“Life, just like the stars, the planets and the galaxies, is just a temporary structure on the long road from order to disorder.” – Brian Cox
planets in the park
Last year, I was a substitute teacher for a 5th-grade class that was studying the solar system. Their amazing teacher put a long-term project together that involved gathering large rocks and painting them like the sun and its corresponding planets. Then the painted rocks were placed along the park’s walking trail as planets in relation to the sun.
Needless to say, the Pluto rock was half a mile away. I recently visited this trail late last Fall and am happy to report the planets are still aligned.
which u.s. national parks are out-of-this-world?
“There are few places where reality exceeds the imagination. Yosemite is one of those places.” ~Shelton Johnson
Yosemite has been a happy place for me and my entire family over the generations.
2023 is shaping up to be a year of exploring new-to-me national parks in April and again this summer and fall. Stay tuned for images from Bryce Canyon, Glacier and (fingers-crossed) Yellowstone National Parks.
Out of this World Weather
For those living in a very cold and still snowy northern hemisphere, Spring arrived—well not really in the traditional vernal equinox sense, but Meteorological Spring arrived on March 1.
“On the bright side, Meteorological spring officially started today. For us meteorologists it marks the 3 month stretch in which temperatures warm the most! By May, our average highs are at about 70 degrees.” -KREM 2 Chief Meteorologist Jeremy LaGoo
As a new-ish resident of Eastern Washington state, last Tuesday’s five inches of NEW snow would beg me to differ that it is spring, like this image I’m sharing for “Last on the Card.”
In the March 1st forecast, local Chief Meteorologist LaGoo said the La Nina winter is over as temperatures rise to normal in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Our high temps will gain 5 degrees Fahrenheit every two weeks with late May temps in the low 70sF, yes!! But … we have to get through a few more snowy days.
“Your time has come, now hasten little snowflakes. To vanish quite away; The spring-tide hours are sounding gentle warnings, forbidding you to stay.” ― M.E. Hathaway
Final thoughts: On one end of the continuum for those seeking a spiritual, celestial moment, this quote sounds good…
“To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.”
~ Stephen Hawking
On the other hand…
“I’m sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It’s just been too intelligent to come here.
~ Arthur C. Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey
Perhaps this apple pie moonshine can launch you into another universe? 😊This was a gift given to my brother one year.
Inspiring Photo Challenges This Week
Each week I am inspired by my fellow bloggers’ photo challenges. I enjoy incorporating these into my Sunday Stills weekly themes.
- BushBoy’s Last on the Card
- Hammad’s Weekend Sky
- Johnbo’s CellPic Sunday
- Jo’s Monday Walk
- Lens-Artists: Peace
- Marsha’s Wednesday Quotes: Order
Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders
The Sunday Stills weekly-themed photo challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post.
- Remember to title your blog post a little differently than mine.
- Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
- Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
- Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
- Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
- I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.
Pingbacks seem to be working again (heavy sigh of relief). Thank you to all who participated last week and took the extra time to leave your link in the comments!
This Week’s Featured Bloggers
Sunday Stills is a wonderful community of bloggers and photographers who desire to connect with one another. Below are this week’s links from bloggers who shared their OUT OF THIS WORLD photos. I add these all week as new links are posted.
**Please note I am traveling on Monday and Tuesday and will add your links to the round-up upon my return. The Jetpack app now lets me view and comment on posts now, so I can keep up with my reading while on the road.**
- YOUR BLOG POST SHARED HERE…
- Always Write
- Between the Lines
- Bushboys World
- Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
- The Day After
- A Day in the Life
- Deb’s World
- Graham’s Island
- Hugh’s Views and News
- LadyLeeManila
- Light Words
- Loving Life
- Natalie the Explorer (out-of-this-world murals!)
- Natalie the Explorer (out-of-this-world ice sculptures)
- Philosophy Through Photography
- Quaint Revival
- Roberta Writes
- This is Another Story
- Woolly Muses
- Working On Exploring
Please join me next week as we explore the monthly color challenge GREEN in all its wonderful shades!
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