Cadillac Sunrise

Still half asleep, I sought the hill and found
My vantage place, then stood a moment there
To probe the wind for some familiar sound;
But no vibration moved along the air,
And I learned nothing that I did not know
From the far east’s faint conglomerate glow.

I asked the stars, what destiny awaits
Beyond this dark incalculable night?…
And suddenly, incredibly, the gates
Of morning opened to approaching light;
Then, somewhere near, a bird began to sing —
And my heart heard the whole world listening.


Dawn Vigil, by Carl John Bostlemann


Tomorrow I will probably have to pay for getting up so early today, but the first day back at work after vacation is always difficult anyways.

Heading through the dark to catch the sunrise on top of Cadillac Mountain, I had a familiar feeling of building tension, nervous that after all this effort I’d arrive too late to see it. I needn’t have worried, since I got there with plenty of time. There was a strong, bitter cold wind, but a beautiful moon, and fortunately I had plenty of warm gear in the car and was prepared to wait. Sunrise is one of those things that happens little by little, then suddenly all at once. Funny how my photos of the actual sun coming up were some of my least favorite. I did enjoy seeing a delightfully familiar tree, however (In extras).

Once the sun cleared the horizon I wandered around the rocky summit for awhile. I took a selfie (also in extras) and confirmed that my wife’s name was still up there written in stone. I was hoping to see, or at least hear, a towhee, but no luck. I did, however, come across some white throated sparrows for the first time this spring, and when I arrived home there was one on the feeder, acting like he had been there the whole time.