I found a new spot today to enjoy the sunrise. It is located very close to my gym, so I'll be spending some pre-workout time trying to capture some new views of the sunrise.
As an added bonus, there is a beautiful oceanfront field that benefits greatly from the changing light - does it remind anyone else of "Christina's World" by Andrew Wyeth?
Last night there was a double treat at dusk. A very lovely sunset which I watched at Hardings Beach, here in Chatham and then about 15 minutes after the sun had actually set, the waxing crescent moon became visible, also in the western sky. The moon set was about an hour after the sunset which allowed about 30 minutes of twilight dusk to be able to take hand held pictures. What a magnificent sky.
I hoped to get down to the Lighthouse earlier then I did to get a picture of the Lighthouse with the light of the beam visible against the earlier sky. But I also realized that the air was much too clear and the reflection I was seeking was just that, the light reflecting off of air particles, probably early morning ice crystals. I had captured this about a month ago, totally unexpected, and was hoping to get a similar picture from a better angle. Fortunately, there will be many more mornings watching the sunrise at the Lighthouse.
Here is the picture that I had taken in August.
The lighthouse was a very pretty sight today at dawn.
It has been a long time since I have enjoyed the sunrise, mostly because the weather has not cooperated but also because the sunrise is so outrageously early this time of year. Today it was at 5:12a and the best pictures are often the ones taken at least 30 minutes before the sun actually reaches the horizon.
Well, today was the perfect combination of excellent weather and a dose of insomnia. When I woke up at 3:00a I watched the moon setting outside of Chatham Gardens - it was too near the actual set time to get the camera set up, so I made myself a travel mug of espresso and headed down to Lighthouse Beach.
I was not disappointed. If you click on the picture I included in this posting you will reach my Flickr site with a few more pictures of another beautiful sunrise in Chatham
Growing advice for peonies tell you not to cut more then a third of your flowers in any one year, mainly because of the leaves that are lost to the plant with the cut flowers. These leaves are essential to the peony if it is to make its food reserves.
Fortunately this year my peonies are blooming in abundance and taking a flower or two from several different plants do not pose a threat to the ongoing health of the plant.
The gentle sweet scent of these magnificent blooms are gracing the inside of Chatham Gardens and will be a beautiful bouquet for the next couple of weeks.
Chatham Gardens continues to flourish this spring with all the beauty that nature (and a very adept landscaper) can provide. If you click on the picture it will take you to the Flickr site with lots of pictures of what is/has been blooming and growing at Chatham Gardens over the last two months. But pictures only tell part of the story, for the rest of the saga you must visit in person.
Life is not always easy or peaceful in a bird's world. They are constantly on the lookout for their natural enemies and there are many predators in residence at Chatham Gardens. But sometimes you catch a feeder with such a depth of beauty that it makes you pause and wonder why it cannot always be this simple; a cardinal, a housefinch and a goldfinch enjoying a snack at the same time on a well stocked feeder.
As an aside it was also so sweet to see the changes in color of the goldfinch, from the drab winter feathers to the start of the yellow to gold beauty they will be in just a short while.
Picture taken with my first Nikon camera, the Coolpix P90.
I had given up hope of seeing any Bluebirds visiting Chatham Gardens this year. In 2008 they arrived in February and were gone by the first week in March.
But today, as I sat in my sunroom, looking out of an unfortunately dirty glass door, there he was, perched on one of the feeder posts next to a sweet little House Finch. Spring must be very near, don't you think?
This guy spent a lot of time on Sunday circling Chatham Gardens looking for a snack. Not sure if he/she ever succeeded or not since every time he was in my sights, not another bird was to be seen. Isn't nature wondrous.
I have been home from NC for a little over a week after being away for about 2 months. I often found myself thinking of Chatham Gardens and I found myself more homesick than I had anticipated. I kept track of the weather events both in the news and through the bills I received from the people who plow my driveway when enough snow accumulates and I mostly regretted not being home to see the fallen snow blanket my home, but I also missed what usually turns out to be a great photo opportunity.
I woke up this morning to a wonderful surprise, just enough snow to turn Chatham Gardens into a winter wonderland, but not enough to keep me from getting to the gym. Also, not enough to receive another snow plow bill as it is now mostly gone. But here is a picture of the beauty I woke up to and the photo I will have to remember that winter is a beautiful season, too.
