Prairie Skies in South Dakota

A couple of weeks ago we were in South Dakota. This photo was taken near Wall, in the national grasslands.

I grew up on the prairie. The skies of the West fill me with a peace that is impossible to find east of the Missouri.

When I think of my great-grandparents, I wonder what they thought of the Dakota skies. Of course, they had to keep an eye on the weather--no Doppler radar in those days. But I imagine they also were attuned to the colors and nuances of the clouds, the shifts in light marking the seasons.

I would love to spend an evening with them, watching the sun sink, seeing geese fly overhead, and hearing frogs begin the night shift.

Prairie Skies

As I write this post, a blizzard is raging in North Dakota. For the uninitiated, blizzards cause white-out conditions and drill flinty ice into your face when you venture outside.

In North Dakota, most conversations start and end with the weather, especially if you’re a farmer. Your livelihood depends on the sky.

And what a sky! People who focus on the ground always miss the show.

When I was a kid, my aunt would visit in the summer. We would run up the hill and take pictures of the sunset—at 10pm. Then we would watch the colors slowly dissolve. I think those colors kept her going through the gray Seattle winters.

I live in the city now. But when I pay attention, I can still see cloud shadows crossing the prairie.