Anyone else prefer cloudy days?

[AlaskaMoose]

You make a good point when you draw a distinction between a preference for an indoors or an outdoors life.

Personally, I'm not much of a fan of outdoors activity (at least, not in anything other than exceedingly pleasant weather).

Moreover, to be perfectly candid, I rather like the feel of asphalt, of cobblestones, of paved paths, of centuries of urban civilisation and history, beneath my feet.

While I am quite partial to spectacular landscapes, I do think that they are perhaps best viewed - or, best enjoyed - through the windscreen of a motorcar.

😀 I see...! Where I live at one has to have the right mindset for staying indoors for long periods of time. There is a medical condition that is very common in places like Alaska where we have very long and dark winters. Today, Thursday 21 December, daylight began just before 11:00 AM, and will end around 2:39 PM. The medical condition I referred to is called SAD, commonly called "cabin fever." However, some people just love the indoors: working, socializing, and so on. I do understand that mild weather conditions are always the best, specially in the outdoors. You are correct about that

As for me, I would be very interested in visiting historical grounds and other sites in Europe, but I can't stand the crowds. I would love to use my metal detectors on the fields the Romans walked or enjoyed socializing, too. But what I would enjoy the most are the rural areas, their foods, their wine, and places to stay at for a few days/nights. I dislike the cities and tourists being led around by a guides.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

You make a good point when you draw a distinction between a preference for an indoors or an outdoors life.

Personally, I'm not much of a fan of outdoors activity (at least, not in anything other than exceedingly pleasant weather).

Moreover, to be perfectly candid, I rather like the feel of asphalt, of cobblestones, of paved paths, of centuries of urban civilisation and history, beneath my feet.

While I am quite partial to spectacular landscapes, I do think that they are perhaps best viewed - or, best enjoyed - through the windscreen of a motorcar.

Nice shot.

Good luck to those who love winter sports; I'm not one of them.

And lengthy emails describing such winter joys in excruciating detail from Scandinavian colleagues cause my bespectacled eyes to glaze over and skip ahead to - what are to me - the more interesting bits of the missive.

Anyway, I love the warmth of summer, and, the quality of light, the brightness, the long days.

And yes, I can suffer - ah, endure, undertake, more or less willingly - outdoors activities in summer, of the healthy hiking (though, for me, a hike is a gentle stroll in the hills, not that horribly healthy striding across mountains some colleagues have in mind - variety - and have done so, though the temptations of sitting in - or near - the car, iPod to hand, listening to music while admiring the panoramic vista - will always remain.

I enjoy the summers and winters, but not much as a participant in sports activities. But some people are active participants of all kinds of summer and winter activities. The person in the photo was racing a very old snowmobile on an ice track. He was around 86 years old when I too the photo over 6 years ago. Another participant was over 100 years old:

Sled dog races and skijoring are very common occurrences in the interior of Alaska, but I am not a participant, just a "picture taker" enjoying the outdoors. Give me light and brightness, summer and winter

 

[Scepticalscribe]

😀 I see...! Where I live at one has to have the right mindset for staying indoors for long periods of time. There is a medical condition that is very common in places like Alaska where we have very long and dark winters. Today, Thursday 21 December, daylight began just before 11:00 AM, and will end around 2:39 PM. The medical condition I referred to is called SAD, commonly called "cabin fever." However, some people just love the indoors: working, socializing, and so on. I do understand that mild weather conditions are always the best, specially in the outdoors. You are correct about that

As for me, I would be very interested in visiting historical grounds and other sites in Europe, but I can't stand the crowds. I would love to use my metal detectors on the fields the Romans walked or enjoyed socializing, too. But what I would enjoy the most are the rural areas, their foods, their wine, and places to stay at for a few days/nights. I dislike the cities and tourists being led around by a guides.

I love cities, especially old cities, cities with historic and atmospheric centres, cities where thousands of feet over hundreds of years have beaten the stones of the paved streets smooth.

However, SAD is another issue entirely, and the stark nature of light deprivation in deepest, darkest, dreariest, winter in northern latitudes is something that I have absolutely no doubt that I suffer 9severely) from, as did my late mother.

I thrill to spring, and the arrival of longer days, warmer days, and, above all, brighter days.

 

[jedimasterkyle]

We moved from the dreary east coast to AZ to get away from cloudy days. This is our first winter and it has been great. Three plus months of gray skies gets old.

My wife's family is from AZ and her older sister wants to move back to Tucson. She's told me numerous times how it would be 70 degrees on christmas and that is the coldest it gets sometimes. But, the flip side of that is in the summer, you are 6 inches from the surface of the sun so there's that also lol.

 

[AZhappyjack]

My wife's family is from AZ and her older sister wants to move back to Tucson. She's told me numerous times how it would be 70 degrees on christmas and that is the coldest it gets sometimes. But, the flip side of that is in the summer, you are 6 inches from the surface of the sun so there's that also lol.

In the Phoenix area there is usually a period of a week or two in mid-late January where temps get below freezing (25-30º F) and we have to cover the more delicate plants... but winters are extremely mild here... and summers can be brutal... the highs were above 110º F every day in July this past year... and over night lows were in the mid 90s... so yeah, it's a trade off. (lived here for over 45 years now)

Our cabin in Happy Jack is about 2 hours north of home. Happy Jack is on the Mogollon Rim - elevation is about 2300 ft, and it's much more moderate... but winters are cold and snowy... so we tend to move back and forth between the two as the seasons and weather dictates.

With all of that said, it's an overcast weekend with spotty rain in the Phoenix area, and, frankly, I love it... baking Christmas cookies with the grands and just hanging out.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

In the Phoenix area there is usually a period of a week or two in mid-late January where temps get below freezing (25-30º F) and we have to cover the more delicate plants... but winters are extremely mild here... and summers can be brutal... the highs were above 110º F every day in July this past year... and over night lows were in the mid 90s... so yeah, it's a trade off. (lived here for over 45 years now)

Our cabin in Happy Jack is about 2 hours north of home. Happy Jack is on the Mogollon Rim - elevation is about 2300 ft, and it's much more moderate... but winters are cold and snowy... so we tend to move back and forth between the two as the seasons and weather dictates.

With all of that said, it's an overcast weekend with spotty rain in the Phoenix area, and, frankly, I love it... baking Christmas cookies with the grands and just hanging out.

I think that cloudy days can be really enjoyed (and appreciated, and relished) in climates where you endure punishing heat for months on end during summer.

Last summer, I spent some time in central Asia where it was blistering - and sunny - each and every day; I will willingly concede that a cloudy day or two would have been more than welcome.

However, as with any weather, once you experience it for weeks (and months) on end, the appeal rapidly fades.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I think that cloudy days can be really enjoyed (and appreciated, and relished) in climates where you endure punishing heat for months on end during summer.

Last summer, I spent some time in central Asia where it was blistering - and sunny - each and every day; I will willingly concede that a cloudy day or two would have been more than welcome.

However, as with any weather, once you experience it for weeks (and months) on end, the appeal rapidly fades.

Like rain. We get plenty of that here……

 

[diggy33]

Absolutely love cloudy/overcast days, and if its raining, even better. Those are the days that my wife and I love to jump in our vehicle and just drive out in the country, hitting up the back roads and getting away from every day traffic. We've come across some great small towns in Virginia and some really awesome places to enjoy an afternoon lunch doing that.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Like rain. We get plenty of that here……

Yes, we do. In fact, we get far too much of it, here.

The sunset - no, the bizarre and ominous lines of light of what I know to have been a setting sun - lighting - from beneath - an umbrella of charcoal coloured cloud which covered the sky like an ill-fitting (but voluminous) cap - was one of the most ominous things I have seen in a while. Ominous but astonishing.

However, from a photography perspective, (and no, of course I didn't have anything of the sort with me; my rucksack was home to cream, butter, and books - from the library - not a camera) it was astonishing, and I am not sure whether it could have been captured in all of its sinister glory from behind a lens.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Yes, we do. In fact, we get far too much of it, here.

The sunset - no, the bizarre and ominous lines of light of what I know to have been a setting sun - lighting - from beneath - an umbrella of charcoal coloured cloud which covered the sky like an ill-fitting (but voluminous) cap - was one of the most ominous things I have seen in a while. Ominous but astonishing.

However, from a photography perspective, (and no, of course I didn't have anything of the sort with me; my rucksack was home to cream, butter, and books - from the library - not a camera) it was astonishing, and I am not sure whether it could have been captured in all of its sinister glory from behind a lens.

Here the sky was also wired. Cloudy with a faint orange hue. Like if you took a picture with the wrong white balance and incorrect exposure.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Here the sky was also wired. Cloudy with a faint orange hue. Like if you took a picture with the wrong white balance and incorrect exposure.

Exactly.

Deeply weird.

Black and charcoal clouds, with that unsettling orange hue lighting them up from below.

It looked all wrong - it looked as though it couldn't be right - but was actually natural and extraordinary, that orange hue - beneath clouds that were almost black - was astounding and visually unsettling; en route home, I did see a woman on the bus take a shot with her phone, and must say that this was one of the few occasions I regretted not having my camera, though I have no idea how such a shot - very ominous in appearance - would actually have come out, and, as you say, it looked wrong re colour balance and exposure even naturally.

However, my rucksack was full of (heavy, hardback) books, so pretty sure there would have been no room for the camera, even if I had thought to bring it.

 

[Herdfan]

My wife's family is from AZ and her older sister wants to move back to Tucson. She's told me numerous times how it would be 70 degrees on christmas and that is the coldest it gets sometimes. But, the flip side of that is in the summer, you are 6 inches from the surface of the sun so there's that also lol.

The beauty of elevation.

We are up in the Verde Valley which runs 3400-4500' so our summers are no where near as hot as the valley. I think we hit 108 for a few days, but otherwise it was usually in the 90's. Which sounds hot, but with low humidity is quite comfortable.

And we get snow. And if we really want snow, Flag is less than an hour away and they get it in feet. And even when we get snow, it is usually gone by the end of the day once the sun comes out. We are currently having an all-day rain and it will continue into tomorrow, but this is the first time in months there is no blue sky.