I love big skies – the sky arching over us like an upturned bowl. Living here we’re seeing a very different sky. The mountains tower around us, reducing the sky to a slice of itself.
It’s an even thinner, sliver of a slice along the road between the trees.
To see a wider expanse of sky, we drive about 5 km east to Oweekeno Lake.
Alternatively, we drive not quite 5 km west to the government wharf. It’s a splendid location to see the colours of the sunset.
What do we do when we get to the slightly wider spaces on the lake or in the fjord? We take photos because it’s all so different, and unusual for us. Neither of us are cloud-identification experts, but we do try to determine what we are seeing.
We are filled with awe at the variations in the sky. Most of the clouds are stratus clouds, low and grey, often covering the entire sky and frequently associated with drizzle. When they hang low enough we call it fog.
Despite the low cloud cover, Helicopters Without Borders may still arrive with medical personnel for routine visits to the community. Just as often, the helicopter does not arrive when it seems that there is similar weather. There are obviously other factors in the equation.
We have other cloud covers. Those low, puffy stratocumulus clouds also fill the sky, frequently but not always obscuring the blue above. Generally benevolent, these clouds blanket the sky, creating little wetness below. They dramatically enhance our view of the mountains.
There is a cloud called alto-cumulus. I think it is the cloud that produces what I call a mackerel sky. We’ve seen a few variations of these beautiful cloud formations.
It might also be alto-cumulus clouds that produced this beautiful sunset sky.
On the brighter, more cloudless nights we catch the glimmer of the sunset at the western end of the village. We ignore all the urban paraphernalia in the foreground, and concentrate on the colours of the sunset in the background.
On a clear evening, the mountain opposite our house catches the refracted light from the sunset.
We enjoy it all.
The bright skies, emphasised with a variety of different cloud formations – possibly cumulonimbus or stratonimbus on this day.
The expressive overcast skies, often accompanied by drizzle or rain. We go out anyway.
We especially enjoy the glorious, fleeting sunsets. We try to get to the government wharf on the weekend for sights like this.
Our magnificent, ever-changing view from the house keeps us mesmerised when we don’t get out and about.
Possibly, over the next couple of years, we’ll learn to recognise and name the various cloud formations, and the weather that they suggest.
