Skywatch Sunrise

I just got back from a few days in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We stayed at the Lighthouse View Motel in Buxton, with, yes, a view of Cape Hatteras lighthouse. The lovely thing is that it is not a standard motel; it has individual houses. We stayed on the bottom floor of one of the round cottages with an ocean view. My cousin and I got up every morning at sunrise and walked out on the beach to see what the shifting tides had thrown up in the night. I walked past this storm twisted fence next to the house everyday. Although the weather was windy and cold, it is always nice to be at the beach, hear the crashing waves and see the seabirds going about their day.

Skywatch sunrise

Sunrise, in July, in south Florida. Can you feel the heat?

I am no longer posting winter pictures. I can't stand it any more. So I went through the photo library to find something that spoke to me of summer. This one is bright enough that I almost need sunglasses; put on your shades and bask in the glow with me.

Skywatch

Growing up in the flatland, far from the big city, the tallest building in town was the grain elevator. You could see it for miles. Every Christmas they would put a star at the very top. Decades later, the star still gleams on frosty winter nights, a sign that welcomes home weary travelers as another star did years ago. Too see other skies check out Skywatch, a weekly meme of skies from around the world.

Early Spring Sunrise

As the creeping dawn paled the inky blackness
to shades of gray;
from the east slivers of pale yellow
created Scherenschnitte of the bare trees.
The sun strengthened to light the long layers
of clouds with peach, orange, fuchsia.
High above in the bright pink sky
a river of birds flowed north.
Some still strong after a long night’s flight,
others straggled to keep up.
Rest was just beyond the horizon.

More used to appreciating sunset than sunrise, the drive to work was an unaccustomed pleasure.