Paintings in the Sky

The glory that is the Tanzanian sky is humbling. Along with the wide-open swath of the savannahs and valleys, the combination is awe-inspiring. The mornings and evenings are filled with pinks, oranges and indigo. The days tend toward robin’s egg blues with cotton puffs dotting here and there.

HOT

The last few months have gotten hotter and hotter. While the actual degree has only reached the mid-80’s, my guess is, due to our proximity to the equator (3 degrees south), the intensity of the rays is searing.  I first arrived in mid-June and started the days with a light scarf and sweater. But by end of July no covering was needed at any time of day or night.

Rain?

At the end of September the skies started to fill with clouds and taunted us with the possibility of rain. But the dark, heavy clouds would lumber by without letting a drop slip from their grasp. The desperately thirsty soil had turned to powdery dust over the long dry spell, and began to rise into funnels at the slightest wisp of air.

DUST!

The first of October arrived with howling winds. By mid-afternoon a massive storm approached, not of rain, but rather a wall of dust at least 1,000 feet in the air. It over took the school and we were in a total whiteout off and on for about two hours.  Of course, that was the day that I had left all my windows open in my house hoping to get some cooler air.

I returned home to a lovely thick coating of powdery fine dust over everything. But…the strong wind had blown in cool air and five days later those dark clouds finally released their payload.  I have to admit, I did a little dance.

It has been heavenly ever since. It is now super humid, but the cool breezes and daily showers are so enjoyable. And the sky continues to lift my eyes to view exquisite new paintings every day.

AHH…

All photos were taken on my iPhone X.