Lilac Light

Looking north, thundershowers moving over
the Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve

At Ravenseyrie, we are visited frequently by stunning skyscapes, which I have many times enjoyed sharing photos of in this blog.  The photos we view today were taken Thursday evening and Friday morning (August 20 and 21st).


A gorgeous rainbow stretched across the sky that Thursday evening, in between thundershowers that rolled over the East Bluff above the north shores of Manitoulin Island.

Your author (in shadow) and her husband attempt to capture the glory
of a spectacular rainbow with cameras...never as good as the real deal!

As if one rainbow over Ravenseyrie were not sufficient, the atmosphere generated a double bow for us to "ooooh" and "ahhhhh" over.

Double rainbow over the Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve

Even as the rainbow began to fade, magical touches from the setting sun illuminated choice clouds on the eastern line of trees.  More squeals of delight from us and more attempts to record the drama with digital cameras.

Gorgeous!

Wow!  The kind of light one sees in the enchanted works of Maxfield Parish.

"Colours are living entities - as much as the wind or sea, or you and me.  Like fragrances, like music, colours can pierce the heart, expose the soul and uplift the spirit...such is the magical power of colour.    --L. Gerard

If I tried to paint this...one would think it surreal...but this is how the sky truly looked!

Dawn came with a high pressure system that had begun to move out the moisture laden clouds which lingered from the prior evening, generating a softer but equally inspiring type of magical light.  I'm dubbing this type of illumination, "Lilac Light".

Morning glory on the Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve

Lilac Light transforms the Sorraias of Ravenseyrie into entities that seem to have sprung to life from the clouds themselves, washing their mousey grulla hair colours into shades of lavender and purple.

Young bachelor Sorraias, emerging from the clouds!

Silvestre, Ousado and Legado

Lilac Light does not have the same transformative power of colour over the sorrel body hair of Jerry the draft mule...but we admire him nonetheless for his supple bending to reach an itchy long ear - quite a remarkable feat for an equine in his late twenties!

"Uncle" Jerry, a very supple, aged draft mule, living the wild life at Ravenseyrie

The effect of Lilac Light on the sorrel colour of our domestic Thoroughbred, Zeus, has a dulling effect.  In full sun, Zeus' colour glistens like spun copper!

Zeus, an aged domestic Thoroughbred living among "wild" Sorraias

Sorraia stallion, Legado (Altamiro x Ciente), a mythic visage!

I hope you enjoyed viewing these scenes from Ravenseyrie as much as we enjoyed living in the magical moments they presented.

"Some of the most beautiful scenes occur in an unsettled sky.  Turmoil is an opportunity to make something lovely."    
                                                                                                                                               --L. Gerard