Sunrise Moon

Any of you who follow my blogs or visit our website know that I'm enamored of sunset skies. We are halfway up Joe's Hill and have a marvelous west view, so we are treated to a lot of spectacular twilight shows. But early Friday morning I looked out back and saw this lovely sight.

When the sun hovers near the horizon, day or night, the sky can transform into breathtaking artistry. Today the rising sun bounced pink and yellow off the western clouds, Earth's shadow was still discernible (just above the trees), and the barely-waning moon stood out as brightly as if it were midnight.

Jet contrails across the sky to the south and east were bright pink, too. Toward the east, the clouds reflected deeper yellow tones as the sun cleared the horizon but not our hill.

I absolutely never tire of looking at the sky, whether it's the characteristic deep blue of dry air, heavy with water-logged thunderheads, blazing with hot red sunset clouds, or vast with the awe-inspiring galaxy-studded blackness of night. I seem to be eternally fascinated by the sky.

Sometimes I just stand there, unaware of the time or weather, awed into wonder and silence. Never, in the entire four billion year history of the Earth, has the sky looked exactly like this. And it never will again.

Don't miss it.