child's delight

The morning and evening skies have been spectacular the last few days. This morning was no exception. I got out of the house as the clouds took on a golden glow and drove a couple of places before I settled on a park that is tucked in between the giant office buildings not too far from where I live. This area is surrounded by condos and apartments and … of course …people walking their dogs.

The massive buildings bothered me at first until I noticed the reflections of the morning color on their glass facades. Soon, pink clouds filled the blue sky while at the same time, a deep orange magenta settled on the horizon. A man walking his dogs told me he had to sit down at the picnic table so that he could see the whole sunrise (as if he might fall over!). This would have been the perfect sunrise to lie on the ground and look up at the clouds.

pink to white in 2 minutes

hour before sunrise with two

This was a morning to share. Both of my sons are home for the holiday. My older son consented to accompany me on my morning photo shoot. I am not used to going in twos, especially when one of them needs to eat before embarking and that someone is not me. After a little frantic searching to locate enough gloves and scarves to protect two from the cold, we laughed at how unbecomingly dressed we were. I told my son that sometimes I like to stop by Starbucks on the way home (there is pretty much one on the way home, no matter where I go!!) but my thrown-together, just-hopped-out-of-bed look is sure to draw stares in the coffee line. Usually that thought is enough to save me a few dollars.

We headed out with a sky full of colorful clouds already forming. So a quick drive to nearby Addenbrook Park was the hastily chosen destination. There were quite a few cars in the parking lot and we saw the usual dog walkers and lake walkers. The geese were just starting to wake up. We got close to the water’s edge and watched with fascination how the geese scoop up water, throwing it over their body followed by a stretching wing flap, all part of a bathing ritual, or so we guessed.

The colors were a mixture of dark and light, then quickly evolving into a breathtaking display that we both were able to photograph. My son was getting very cold by the actual time of sunrise. He was happy when I told him that I often end the morning within a minute or two of sunrise.

It is, after all, the hour before sunrise that I seem drawn to most.

traffic all around

While driving on friday, I saw a vantage point that I thought would make for good sunrise photos. So off I went this morning to test my theory. Dodging cars and hoping the police didn't think I was in an inappropriate place, I stood on a safe island of land between the on-ramp and the freeway. An RTD bus stopped near where I stood while the driver got out to move a traffic cone that had fallen into her lane. A construction worker came over to where I stood later on the overpass to admire the sunrise with me. Just another sunrise adventure.