Sunrise And The Colors Of The Morning Sky

Part of the reason I like to be up early in the morning is witnessing dawn itself.

If you've the vantage point, a cup of some morning beverage and a relatively comfortable place to sit, with a minor - and I mean very minor - effort you can watch the stars fade as the sky lightens from black and a glow begins to spread across the sky as if Nature itself were throwing back the blankets to greet a new day.

Even in the darker days of my past, when "waking up" was really more about "coming to", the morning hours were a special part of my day; a quiet time when I could attempt to pull thoughts together and piece together the night before. Perhaps some of you understand better than others how nice it is to have it quiet while you're doing that.

Somewhere outside of the city is nicer, to my way of thinking, anyway - but sunrise is sunrise, and each has its own distinct charms to it. Today's photos were all taken in the countryside near Surin, on the Isaan Oddysey trip.

Traveling with a friend's partner (now a friend himself) who was acting as my guide and transportation we'd spent the night at his brother's home. Being excited about the day's journey ahead I'd awakened early and sat on the covered terrace adjoining my room and watched the sun come up as I idly slapped at the odd mosquito.

The view to one side was especially lush, to say the least; deeply green with trees and grasses. The smoke from local crop burns hung in the cool, damp air and added to the colored sky in the distance, giving the nearby hills the soft hue of a watercolor wash.

As an added bonus, it was near the peak of the full moon. My poor old camera didn't like being forced to take such a long exposure, but it nobly did its best.  The shot isn't great, but the memories behind it - and the others - most certainly is.

And to think, had I slept in another hour I'd have missed it all.