Catching morning

What a way to start the week!   I saw the mist on the lake, and grabbed my camera, flying down the stairs to our shoreline.

I didn't need to hurry, as it took nearly an hour for dawn to break....but in that hour, OH the things I saw!!

The coppers and golds looked as if someone had been polishing them all night, just waiting for the first rays of sun...and the entire lake was giving off an eerie mist, slowly drifting upward.

As I took it all in, three sand hill cranes flew directly towards me ...silent, without even a sound of beating wings.   As the sun rose further, our little herd of deer made an appearance on the far shore, bending down for their morning drink.

I spent nearly an hour standing on our dock.  It was right around freezing temp, but I hadn't noticed until I tried to unlock my knees and start up the stairs....it was slow going.   I turned around for one last look, and a hot air balloon was floating over the fields beyond the mist.

Even though I wish everyone could experience morning this way, I was grateful that today, it was just the lake and I.