December 1, 2021

Welcome December 2021, with your beautiful first light. The best of photographs never fully capture the richness and the scope of the sky scape presentations on dawns such as the one today.

Three views of today’s sunrise, taken three minutes apart, illustrates how quickly the view of the horizon morphs into distinctive images — each one uniquely beautiful.

First light today lit up the horizon like fire on the water. Once the sun rose over the sea, the dramatic sky scape became muted and uninteresting. This is why I like to reach the beach at the first hint of light. The best view can appear at any point in the transition from night into day.

After the gale-driven rain put out to sea, and the temperatures returned to seasonal numbers, dawns first light arrived with the remaining clouds delicately tinted on the horizon. The crunchiness of the rain-dimpled sand underfoot echoed the thermometer’s chilly reading.

It is at this time of year, when dawn temperatures linger in the twenties, that the solitude at sunrise begins to eliminate distractions. Even the seabirds grow quiet as they huddle together on the sand, facing into the wind. These are the times of deeper contemplation — and longing for summertime’s return.