Rural Sydney Skyscape Contrasts

A few weeks ago – on 26 September 2009 to be exact – Sydneysiders woke up to a red dust haze so spooky that many people thought they were experiencing the final countdown to Armageddon. For me it was a moment of wonder. Tynney my family sheep was the one who alerted me to the phenomenon with his insistent baaaing. I took one look out of the window then grabbed the digital camera and ran outside in my PJs to get as many shots as I could. It looked and felt as though I was stepping out into a red swirly fog. 

Well, I finally downloaded the pics onto the computer and then compared them to a beautiful May 2009 sunrise. I thought you all might be interested in some of these contrasts taking from a similar vantage point near a tree which faces the east. The top pic is the May sunrise, the middle one is the red September haze, and the third shot was taken two days later when we were hit by another less potent dust storm which lacked the red tinge of the first. I have an enormous respect for nature and this is another good reason why.