Each new day imparts an honor I will always praise and cherish: to awaken in America and know that I am home.
It's the chance you take. Sometimes a trip to a park location, much farther than you would like to normally drive, proves to be unproductive. That's what happened to me on March 14 of this year.
I had high hopes. I planned to go to Bald Rock Heritage Preserve, take photos of the sunrise, then go to Table Rock State Park, renew my yearly park pass, and take some photos there.
It wasn't meant to be.
Read MoreIt is dark, inside and outside. With no good reason that might be apparent, I rise from my bed, turn on the light, and begin my day. I'm growing old and have little to show for my years, little to look forward to, little to be proud of or to excite me with what might come to pass. Still, I rise from my bed and begin my day, for I know something, something that can change how I feel.
Read MoreOn the morning of December 7, 2020, I woke up at 5 AM with high anticipation. Sunrise would be at 7:24 AM. Twilight would be in the 30 to 40 minutes before that. And I needed to arrive during twilight. I had to get ready, prepare my camera gear, make some hot tea for the journey, and then drive for over an hour to reach my destination.
It was time to get moving.
Read MoreThen, I heard something up on the mountaintop, two young female voices, sounding excited, one much younger than the other. And I thought to myself, “There goes my quiet morning.” But in this case, it wasn’t a bunch of rowdy kids yelling at the top of their voice for no apparent reason, as had happened recently. Just two people enjoying the scenery, talking quietly to themselves, barely audible. After a few moments I forgot they were there.
Read MoreOn December 7 of last year, I made another trip to Bald Rock Heritage Preserve. As you can see in today’s photograph, this was not a clear blue-sky day. There were clouds. And I was thankful for that. The presence of clouds in the sky means that my sunrise photos will benefit from those clouds as they move around, while the sun crests the horizon.
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