dawn at Lake Ella

4/24/2020 – Friday

It was a silver-tinted morning, with a thin cloud layer up high that both hid and reflected enough of dawn to give everything a rich luminescence. The photo I took did not need much touching up to accurately show the color of indigo blue of the sky. Missing is the subtlety of the change as it slowly brightened into a grayish day.

For a little while, though, there was a touch of ethereal magic to the view.

There were more fierce storms late yesterday afternoon, but no tornadoes south of I-10 so while we suffered some gusts there was not real danger for us. Then more storms rolled through in the early morning. While the level of Lake Ella was not changed too much (it’s been a dry, dry winter) by the time we got outdoors, everything was still damp and the branches of the trees hung low with water weight.

Since we were out a bit earlier than we have been lately, at 6 am, there weren’t many people out yet either. The Groundsman, who is johnny-on-the-spot after storms, was there clearing off the walkways and parking lots around the commons with the air blower. We wave now, a friendliness that’s been ten+ years in the making. Maybe it’s when I got a dog that he thought I was officially a regular?

Keely as usual kept to the outer edges of the sidewalk, somewhat pathologically determined not to get near wet earth or grass unless absolutely necessary. I used to think she hated getting her paws wet but she will prance through puddles on occasion, so I think it’s more the feel of wet dirt and sand and grass that bothers her. Who knows for sure? But she will all but walk in the middle of the street keep me from forcing her onto a patch of grass!