This afternoon at 3:30 pm (Jan. 09, 2009) I stepped out onto my deck for a break, as I do many times each day, and looked up to the western sky and was startled at what I thought was a passenger airline headed vertically about a mile or so away. I did a double-take visually because I was momentarily confused because there were no wings showing, and it shined with a silvery colored brilliance that had the appearance of glowing-radiating mercury. The object at first glance was approximated at maybe 2000 feet altitude and slowly ascending toward a lightly clouded sky. It appeared to be as long as a typical 727 passenger cabin and as wide or maybe wider, and somewhat flat on ends. I began to reach for my binoculars that I keep handy, while trying not to loose visual with the object. The object began to speed it���s ascent as I managed to uncap my bino���s as to get a closer look. Before I could raise them to my eyes it began fading out, as if it were actually becoming translucent or transparent. I quickly looked thru the binoculars at the exact area, but there was NOTHING there! It had vanished without me even blinking an eye! I was amazed to say the least, because it never appeared to make any directional or velocity change. It simply dematerialized into thin air. Thirty minutes after my observation a small grey/black helicopter arrived in the area circling for ten to fifteen minutes. Ironically, the previous day I had witnessed this same helicopter hovering stationary for 20 minutes in the vicinity until it departed at late sunset. Keep your eyes to the sky people!