Today’s sky is dedicated to Chinese filmmaker, actor, and producer Wei Lo, hence the reference in my title to his film titled Half a Loaf of Kung Fu. Suppose it could have been dedicated to Jackie Chan as Half a Loaf was his first comedic film role. Lo Wei was maybe most famous for his film Fists of Fury with Bruce Lee. Anyway, how I made the connection to Half a Loaf of Kung fu is because I titled the photo Halo of Rays but then thought, it isn’t really a halo as a halo should be round and this is a little more than half, so, Half a Halo of Rays. Then, when looking for something to tie into that inspiration I read that Lo Wei had passed away in 1996 and so it felt like a nice moment to remember the famous man and his work.

Behind me are blue skies, in front are storm clouds and hammering rain, and thus the sun helps create this beautiful double rainbow stretching across the horizon from north to south. Today is the last day for the rest of the week that monsoon storms are forecast for the greater Phoenix area. It is just as well that the storms should pass as the humidity is becoming unbearable, some drying out would be a welcome relief.

Other parts of the valley of the sun are getting rain, only we don’t. Threatening heavy clouds glide by and are soon gone without dropping even a fine mist. Early in the evening, we hear some thunder but nothing else materializes. By morning we read about flooding in areas surrounding Phoenix, but for us – nothing.

Yeah, the humidity goes way up, occasionally the electricity will go out with a nearby lightning strike, and even a bit of flooding comes with the onset of the Monsoon season – but the skies – the skies are brilliant. From the middle of July to the end of August I could post sky pictures every day. The best views are at sunset when billowing white thunderheads crawl up into the sky while a low sun paints the bottom of the clouds with hot pinks, oranges, and reds. But even on these days when miserable grey skies loom overhead threatening torrential rains, the sky can look amazing.

I am “hopefully” recovering from bronchitis. For two weeks now I have been taken out by this upper respiratory affliction that has made me double over in pain from my chest to my hips as I cough, cough, and coughs some more. This cloud represents my lungs, just a few days ago my chest felt like a monsoon.