Morning Solitude

 

A different morning, a new sunrise--a new beginning...

Daylight and Moonlight

Daylight and Moonlight

In broad daylight, and at noon,
Yesterday I saw the moon
Sailing high, but faint and white,
As a school-boy's paper kite.

In broad daylight, yesterday,
I read a Poet's mystic lay;
And it seemed to me at most
As a phantom, or a ghost.

But at length the feverish day
Like a passion died away,
And the night, serene and still,
Fell on village, vale, and hill.

Then the moon, in all her pride,
Like a spirit glorified,
Filled and overflowed the night
With revelations of her light.

And the Poet's song again
Passed like music through my brain;
Night interpreted to me
All its grace and mystery.



By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Into the Blue Horizon

In the early morning hour, the darkness gives way to shades of dark blues to greyish pale blues.  This quote expresses how often I feel and why it is so difficult to sleep.

 

"I do not want to sleep
for fear I might miss the twinkle of the brightest star

for fear I may never know
how the moon glimmers, in the darkest hour.”
― Sanober Khan, A touch, a tear, a tempest      

Sky on Fire



I don't believe Hollywood can come up with a more frightening skyline then mother nature.

Stairway to the Sky

 

The layers of waves look like steps leading to a city of sky scrapers.  At least that is what my imagination saw this particular morning. 

Even
After
All this time
The Sun never says to the Earth,
"You owe me."
A quote by Hāfez (Persian: خواجه شمسالدین محمد حافظ شیرازی), was a Persian mystic and poet. He was born sometime between the years 1310 and 1337.

Eyes of the Storm 'Ericia'

August 31st Sun Rise cloud formation had monster black clouds shaped like a mask with terrifying eyes.

The Clouds Came Down to Earth

 

This particular morning was raining, dark and dreary.  You could not see the mountain range for the low hanging clouds.  The clouds came down to earth.

The Rainy Day

  The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

Castle on a Cloud

 

Castle Mountain, Banff National Park, Canada

 

 

"There is a castle on a cloud,
I like to go there in my sleep,
Aren't any floors for me to sweep,
Not in my castle on a cloud.

There is a room that's full of toys,
There are a hundred girls and boys,
Nobody shouts or talks too loud,
Not in my castle on a cloud.

There is a lady all in white,
Holds me and sings a lullaby,
She's nice to see and she's soft to touch,
She says "Cosette, I love you very much."

I know a place where no one's lost,
I know a place where no one cries,
Crying at all is not allowed.
Not in my castle on a cloud."

Les Miserables - Castle On A Cloud Lyrics 

Bow River Pale Emerald Waters

Bow Rover was beautiful with it pale emerald waters.  We drove by it on different days, sunny or cloudy the green waters glisten.

Mount's Curve at Bow River

The drive on Bow Valley Parkway mountain scenery was surreal.  I was in awe at every turn.  This is at a overlook of Mount's Curve at Bow River.  Mount Temple is the majesty peak in the top photo.

Sulphur Mountain Banff Canada

We stayed in the town of Banff which is located in the World's first National Park located in the Canadian Rockies.  Driving on 1A you can see Sulphur Mountain, we were headed to Lake Louise.

Harbor Beach Lighthouse

 

The cloud formation and lightening is what makes this picture.  The lighthouse is small but the various shades of the blue horizon filled with Cumulus clouds and sunlit parts makes it very picturesque.

Harbor Beach

The exact name of the park is "Judge James Lincoln Memorial Park".  The family must have made a significant contribution of funds to have this park developed.  It is a very nice place for families to picnic and enjoy the beach.   I like walking the boardwalk and watching the seagulls and boats sail by. It rained the first day I visited and a tornado touched down in another small town in close proximity.  We could see the cloud funnel forming from the distance.  We knew we were in for a severe storm.  The winds were so strong that trees and branches were falling across the roads.  We drove in the opposite direction of the tornado warnings and still faced a savage rain beating against the windows. Weather changes very quickly and without warning.

Blowing in the Wind

I love red barns against a endless cloudy horizon.  It was a very windy day and the tall grass blowing in the wind framed this picture.  I can look at this image and still feel the wind challenging me standing in the grass with my hair and unsteady hands 'blowing in the wind."

Blowing in the Wind
By Bob Dylan 1962

How many roads must a man walk down
Before they call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
How many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind.
How many years must a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea?
How many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
How many times can a man turn his head
and pretend that he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind.

Field of Clouds

A field of clouds before and during a storm in small village of Cass City, Michigan.

 

August Rush Crescent Beach

A morning walk on the beach and the wild flowers are gorgeous.  From 7:30 to 8:00 am there is a drastic shift in the light and cloud formation.  It was 75F and the coolest time during daylight.

Yellowstone Lower Falls

Glacier National Park Montana Gallery III

 

 

 
 
The above photo is of Heavens Peak.  We drove to Logan Pass Visitor Center to Hidden Lake Nature Trail.  On the way we passed the Weeping Wall. 

 

Glacier National Park Montana Gallery II

Glacier National Park Montana Gallery I

I have discovered after visiting several parks and mountain ranges two things:   I have a love for the mountains and I cannot get enough of their majesty splendor.  I also may or may not get acute mountain sickness above tree level.  By that I mean, when I reach the top of the mountain peaks and there are no trees but rocks and I am at cloud level or above the clouds,  I get AMS which kicks in at 10,000 ft above sea level.  At 10,000 feet, a person only has the effective use of 14% oxygen, only two-thirds that of sea level. Besides needing to breath deeper, I start feeling lightheaded and fear sets in.  I read that a person is at higher risk for acute mountain sickness if you live at or near sea level and travel to a high altitude.  Since I have been living in Florida most of my adult life, I now pay the price with AMS.  Living in Florida is not all what it is cracked up to be in my opinion!

Flathead River Montana

Lake McDonald Montana