SkyWatch Friday: Storm Watch

Lately, we've been having a bunch of afternoon thunderstorms here in the Texas Hill Country. Which is good -- the drought seems to be lifting a bit. And it's made for some pretty dramatic skies. These are a few shots I took from our front porch. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Here we have the approaching storm:



And this was the aftermath:

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Outdoor Wednesday: The Finches and the Fans

We have ceiling fans on our front porch. We've never really turned them on because the wind up here on the mountain (OK -- on the hilltop) blows most of the time and cools things down without the use of electricity. We also have some House Finches who keep trying to build their nests in/on those fans, even though all the surfaces are completely flat, with no cubbies or crevices to hold a nest. The birdies keep taking their twigs and bits of fluff up there, and the twigs and bits of fluff promptly fall right off onto the porch below. But the stupid persistent birds go right on trying.


Sometimes, though, when the wind is really blowing and making the fans whirl, the Finches do take a break; they hop out onto the blades of the fan and just ride around and around and around....



I guess it's like a carnival ride for birds.

Outdoor Wednesday is hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer.
To see many, many more outdoor photos or to post some of your own, please visit her blog.