Red Sky In The Morning.....

After a blissful nights sleep I hapened to open one eye about 6:30 am and saw the sky glowing one of the most beautiful hues I had ever seen. I hadn't even thought about setting the alarm in hopes of wittnessing such a spectacular sunrise! I flew out of bed, flicked on the light, grabbed my camera and nearly ran out of my hotel room in my PJ's! I'm glad I was awake enough to think this over quickly and I hurridly put yesterday's clothes on, really what did it take 10 seconds? I know there was no one else out there or even being close to stirring, but I'm sure the other guests would prefer not to see me wearing PJ's.

I quickly ran down to the waterfront, and just stared in amazement at the spectacular show that was unfolding before me. In my rush, I had forgotten my polarizing filter, but I was so drawn by the changing hues that I just couldn't bear to turn my back and walk away. I could just tell that this sunrise was going to be special, perhaps even more so than the one I witnessed atop Cadillac Mountain in Maine.

I may have been the only person stirring, but it was very evident that the waterfowl had been up for quite a while. The ducks and geese and gulls, were quitely chatting and this year's offspring were lining up following the leader and circling about, waiting for a little bit more light to appear before heading out.

It was truely a marvelous nature moment, with the only sound being the quiet mutterings of the birds, and a very faint breeze that put just a small wrinkle in the otherwise glass calm waters of Lake Huron.

As the sun began its ascent from the horizon, I noticed that I was no longer alone. A few others had their cameras but were respectful of the peacefullness that accompanies a sunrise and no one spoke a word. I gathered that they too, preferred soltitude and quiet contemplation at sunrises and sunsets. Not that there is anything wrong with sharing these magical moments with others, but for me, its...just one of those special moments that soothes my soul and brings me peace. Perhaps if everyone had this philosophy and was able to appreciate such beauty the world would be a much more serene place.

I kept watching the horizon in constant amazement, wondering, really can life get any better than this? It's certainly a good thing that I don't see sunrises of this caliber every day, because I'd be constantly in lala land and would come up with some crazy idea to forgo any responsibilities I have and move to the wilderness to witness spectacular moments sich as this one everyday for the rest of my life.

As the sun rose higher and higher into the sky, the clouds seemed to be drawn to the sun and instead of becoming lighter, it seemed to grow darker instead, perhaps a sign of inclement weather approaching. Red sky at night, sailor's delight, red sky in the morning, sailors take warning was a phrase that had been drilled into my head since childhood.  

And all too soon, the sun was rising quickly only to hide behind the thick layer of coulds that had coalesced to form a giant quilt to sheild the Earth from the sun's warming rays. It seemed so odd to have such thick cloud cover when less than 8 hours prior the night sky was crystal clear enough  to see millions of stars and planets, minus of course the two "shooting stars" that I witnessed.

So go on, all of you, get up early and go to a quiet place, respect the silence of the sunrise and may you be blessed with the beautiful memory of a nature moment that you will trreasure for a lifetime!