A quiet hotel room and a new window to look out of. There’s a simple pleasure in watching the sun come up in a different town.
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| The sun peeking over the horizon just after 7:30 this morning. |
This morning, the sky over Alexandria, Minnesota, put on a vibrant, fiery display, offering a warm and colorful start to a day full of family and reunion.
Wherever you are today, I hope your morning started with a little bit of color.
Some of the best moments of any trip are the quiet ones you don't plan for. On this morning in Fort Lauderdale, I was up before the sun and was greeted by a brilliant half-moon hanging in the perfectly dark sky.
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| Before the dawn. The half-moon, brilliantly clear in the pre-dawn sky. |
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| The view from the hill above our house on Christmas Eve morning. Some sights are worth pulling over for. |
After a whirlwind trip to Florida, it was time to head home. As I've said before, I always love flying early in the day; you get ahead of the potential for cascading delays and the journey feels much smoother. The reward for that early alarm clock is often a beautiful, quiet moment before the chaos of travel begins.
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| The pre-dawn glow at Orlando International (MCO). The quietest moment of the day at any airport. |
There's always a touch of melancholy when a lovely visit with family comes to an end, but it's mixed with the quiet comfort of heading home. After a wonderful trip to Minnesota, it was time for an early morning flight back to Denver.
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| The pre-dawn quiet at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP). |
It started as a quiet, ordinary morning. I was getting ready for the day when I noticed a strange and brilliant glow fill my office. The entire room was bathed in a warm, orange light that you just don't see every day. That was my cue.
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| It's not every day the sky tells you to stop what you're doing and come outside. This was the view from the front yard this morning. |
Wherever you are today, I hope you find a moment of unexpected color on your path.
Don Bergquist – 21 August 2024 – Lakewood, Colorado, USA
This morning, I was up well before the sun, drawn by the promise of a spectacular dawn over Tampa Bay.
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| The walk to the pier in the pre-dawn darkness was magical, with the city's parks still lit up from the night. |
After two long days of driving and a full day of anticipation, eclipse day has finally arrived.
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| Eclipse morning. The sunrise looked promising for a clear day. |
With the dogs settled in for their own vacation, our eclipse road trip began in earnest with an early departure from Lakewood.
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| On the road before the sun. The adventure begins. |
Sometimes the sky puts on a show you can't ignore. I was in my office this morning when I noticed the quality of the light suddenly change. It's a subtle cue that seasoned sky-watchers learn to recognize—a sign that something dramatic is happening. I immediately ran to the living room window, and this was my reward. The clouds were set ablaze in a way that made the whole world feel grand and new.
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| This was the spectacular view this morning that made me drop everything and grab my camera. |
My morning routine was politely but firmly rejected today. I went down to the TV room in the basement to start my day, only to find that the couch had been thoroughly claimed.
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| This was the peaceful scene that greeted me in the basement this morning. |
