The Mountain in February

         I know that my February photos are quite a bit on the late side.......but I have had my usual difficulties with Blogger and pictures.......why I have so much trouble uploading pictures......is a mystery to me.  I can blame it on my slower than average internet at home.....but even at the library I have had issues.


       When an RN charts later, she calls it a "late entry".  So, that is what this is.......my late entry.  And now.......even my March photo journal is late!!!  Argh.

      In case you have not been following this, I am keeping a year-long photo journal of The Mountain this year......from September to September........because that kind of feels like The Mountain's typical year to me:  From the time it has the least snow back to that time again.  Who knew when I started this, that we would be having a low-snow winter.  It has been great fun to document the views I see year-round.  I am also including other photos of local scenery or phenomena.

      While lenticular clouds are considered "rare"........they are not rare in some parts of the world, Mt. Shasta being one of those places.  We can have them daily, most likely weekly at the minimum.  And sometimes a lenticular cloud can hang around for days.  They are so amazing and beautiful, and common around here.......that our local museum is having a display for their opening this spring.

      Accoring to the link above, Wikipedia states: 


Lenticular clouds (Altocumulus lenticularis) are stationary lens-shaped clouds that form at high altitudes, normally aligned perpendicular to the wind direction. Lenticular clouds can be separated into altocumulus standing lenticularis (ACSL), stratocumulus standing lenticular (SCSL), and cirrocumulus standing lenticular (CCSL). Due to their shape, they have been offered as an explanation for some Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) sightings.



And also this about their formation:

        Where stable moist air flows over a mountain or a range of mountains, a series of large-scale standing waves may form on the downwind side. If the temperature at the crest of the wave drops to the dew point, moisture in the air may condense to form lenticular clouds. As the moist air moves back down into the trough of the wave, the cloud may evaporate back into vapor. Under certain conditions, long strings of lenticular clouds can form near the crest of each successive wave, creating a formation known as a 'wave cloud.' The wave systems cause large vertical air movements and so enough water vapor may condense to produce precipitation. The clouds have been mistaken for UFOs (or "visual cover" for UFOs) because these clouds have a characteristic lens appearance and smooth saucer-like shape. Bright colors (called Irisation) are sometimes seen along the edge of lenticular clouds.^[1] These clouds have also been known to form in cases where a mountain does not exist, but rather as the result of shear winds created by a front.



       Why am I sharing this?  Because today I am including a few pictures of lenticular clouds below......and I want you to understand just what it is you are seeing.  Please tell me, if you also live somewhere where these gorgeous clouds are frequent. I would love to see your photos.

         We were driving home from a basketball game one evening and this was in the sky.  The pictures are a bit blurry due to the fact that we were actually moving and could not stop for the photo op. It was taken through a windshield.  I am sure that you can imagine how stunning this cloud was.....to come around the corner and see this bright pink cloud in the dusky sky!  No picture could truly show you its beauty.  It was located between Black Butte as seen in the first photo and Mt Shasta as seen in the second photo.

 

The next morning, just before the sun arose, my son took this photo below.......just to share with me.  He knew I would not want to miss it.......but I was sleeping.  Thankfully he was quick on the trigger and snapped this......instead of waking me. I really appreciated both of those things!

 

During basketball season, we were driving all over our large county for games.  That gave me opportunities to take photos of The Mountain from other angles.  Sometimes the car was moving.  And a phone camera is not quite as good as my Nice Camera.  :)  But.....here they are......

And still more.......

This is the same as the two above...but later in the evening.  I kept it even though it is blurry because there was not enough light to take a clear picture......because it looks like a painting to me.

 

A small part of our orchard outside my bedroom window on a snowy morning....

 

The next four pictures below were all taken at the same spot.....on two different days.  This is the main place I park for my usual photo journal of The Mountain.....

I thought the clouds below looked so lovely in the sky....but the shot does not really share that......ah, well.  This is one of the views from one of my bedroom windows......

My oldest and I were about to go on Mt. Shasta's inagural Art Walk when we noticed lenticular clouds on the mountain range behind our house.  This is so rarely seen.......we do not know if we have ever seen lenticular clouds over there.  They are always somewhere near Mt. Shasta.  We tried snapping a handful of photos, but none of them clearly show that the clouds are lenticular....just trust me!  :)

And lastly, this was the view from my front door one morning, before the sun rose, after an evening snowfall.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All of the pictures below were taken with what I call "my nice camera"  in order to contrast it with my phone camera.  It is a digital camera, as nice as it gets without buying an SLR. 

The following four photos were taken from a favored spot at Our Hearts' Haven.......a small man-made hill with a bench for viewing The Mountain......and the Site of My Future Gazebo........a family joke, since apparently no one has any plans to build one for me.  :/  A sad lot in my life.

On our way to Mass.........we enjoy viewing other angles of The Mountain.  The pictures below were taken as we were in a moving car....and some through the windshield.  My family laughs and complains about my frequent picture-taking......so stopping for The Ultimate Photo is not an option for me.  Many of these photos are the exact opposite of our view in Mt. Shasta......so you will see the taller Mount Shasta and the smaller Mount Shastina have traded places, compared to the above photos.

 

 

Blessings to you, from The Mountain and me...............

                              Chari