Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: sunrise

(+2 insets!) Please view large! :) (I'm late again so making this short!) Every day that passes has both Steve and I feeling more excited about our next adventure. We had such a good time on our first RV trip that we're already booked for our next one! We will be going to a nearby destination again just to make sure we're not too far from home if we run into problems. We can't wait! For today, I'm finally posting the sunrise over Upper Lake Klamath. There were clouds in front so it's not a normal kind of sunrise but I really like the way it made the sunrise look. What an incredible moment to experience. I'm so happy I was there. Just look at this reward…even ducks flying by! I just couldn't have asked for more than this. :) I am also sharing two insets: one is a picture of birds on the water with golden light making the cattails glow, and the other is an abstract of the reflection of a jet trail on the water! Pam, I was thinking about my jet trail abstract so I looked up "abstract" on your stream. What a cool image your "Northern Lights" creation is! It gets a 10 on the Groovy scale! :D I hope you had a nice day my dear! *BIG HUGS* Explored on 5/1/19, highest placement, #1.

(+1 inset) Today I spent several happy hours taking pictures of and processing images for Monday's Macro Monday. In fact, I got so carried away that I totally forgot about my post today! Thankfully I have my next pictures all ready to go from our trip to Upper Klamath Lake! What a special occasion. How many times have you made yourself get up to see the sunrise? I bet there's a whole lot of you who are like me--that number is extremely low, maybe 5 times? I do get up earlier now and sometimes it turns out to be before sunrise but that's not the same thing. What I mean is…you're asleep. You either wake up because of an alarm that you set just for a sunrise or the light wakes you up…you're so tired and groggy and you don't HAVE to get up. It's entirely up to you. When I'm not forced, the result is usually rolling over and going back to sleep! What about you? I'm really happy that I won my epic internal battle to get out of bed so I could be part of the sunrise. I think part of my success lies in the fact that I'm old enough to know how it feels to really regret a bad decision. And I would have been very unhappy if I'd gone back to sleep. There really is something to be said of some sagely wisdom as the years tick by. I posted my silhouetted tree picture but I have other before-sunrise pictures that turned out well so I have two more to share today. The main picture is the left side of the dock with the glowing horizon and cool soft colors everywhere. I even managed to capture a duck in the water, huzzah! My inset is a look down the right side of the dock with the moon above along with a wispy jet trail. (By the way, I'll be posting sunrise images on the day after tomorrow, since tomorrow will be my Macro Monday pictures!) I'm really delighted with how well this new Sony is working out. Our ipernity friend, Roland (ROL/Photo), who was my inspiration to get this firecracker of a camera, gave me a tip about lowering the exposure by a stop in bright situations and it's really helped a lot. I've been able to adjust my images in my Camera RAW application and the dynamic range is super. Even though it wouldn't seem necessary in before-dawn images, the difference between light and dark is quite extreme and it's been wonderful to get better results with my pictures! YAY! Pam, I did a search for "sunrise" and found this beautiful sunrise image you got while in flight to Atlanta Wow, is that lovely. There's something really neat about capturing sunset/rises while flying. I'm glad you got such a nice picture, mine haven' been so successful! Hey, I hope you had a nice day today, you've been in my thoughts! *hugs*

(+1 inset) (please view large!) Now that Steve and I have been home from Upper Klamath Lake for a day, we've been reflecting on the differences. Most notably, it was only just entering spring there, though the temperature was quite nice and cold only late at night. Did you experience a long winter where you live? We did and I know that many places in Oregon had a very late winter too. Talking to the folks at Rocky Point Resort, we learned that they've only been open for business for a couple of weeks because their winter was about a month longer than normal--just like us. In fact, daffodils were just beginning to bloom there, whereas our daffodils peaked a month ago. Checking the elevation, I was surprised to find that Upper Klamath Lake sits at 4100 feet, whereas we are at 1500 feet. This all made sense to us when we thought about it and all of this explains why it didn't feel like spring hadn't arrived yet. I've only stayed at a campground once, many years ago, and that was traditional tent camping so it this place was very interesting to me. Modern campgrounds in the United States have specific sites meant for RVs and other spots are just for tents or small camper vans. Some spots have no "hookups" and are just a place to pitch a tent or to "dry camp", which means that you have to provide water and electricity. Fancy spots, like the one we had, included "full hook-ups", which meant we had electricity, water AND a sewer. Sewer hookups are uncommon but most campgrounds offer water and electricity hookups. It was all new and fascinating to me. Another interesting point is that sites are sorted by size of trailer. Many campsites, especially remote ones without the luxury of a lot of space cannot accept camper vehicles at all, only tents. Some can only accommodate camper vans or trailers up to 25 feet long or so. More often than not, campsites are only long enough for a trailer; the truck must be unhooked and parked beside the trailer. However, there are some campsites that have spots which will allow a very long RV AND a truck which doesn't even need to be unhooked! We're talking 80 feet or longer!! That's just astonishing to me! I really shouldn't be surprised because I've seen some unbelievably long combinations of truck + RV or huge motorhome + car towed behind. Still, I never really thought about it before! Did you know that in most cases, you reserve your campsite online? In fact, there are many places that are so popular that you must reserve a spot an entire YEAR (or longer) before you want to go!! And then, there are lots of places that don't allow reservation at all!. How would you like to drive all day to get to a campsite without even knowing if there is a place to pull into?! What do you do if you can't get in? It's a whole new thing for us to learn about and it's lots of fun to figure it all out. I'll be writing about what we learn as we go whenever it's interesting enough to pass along. I expect it's probably fascinating to some of you who live in Europe and don't see anything larger than camper vans. The difference between European camping and US camping totally blows me away and I figure it's fun to read about! I'll do my best to be entertaining! :) Today's picture was taken yesterday morning before sunrise when I stepped out of our RV and headed towards the dock. The colors in the sky behind the bare trees was just incredible. Part of me wanted to rush out to the dock because I didn't want to miss the sunrise but I simply couldn't miss this picture. I'm so glad I got it. :) My inset was the picture I thought about posting yesterday for Happy Fence Friday. It shows the Rocky Point Lodge and the actual "rocky point" which is the namesake of this beautiful place. I am very happy with the way the picture turned out but I don't think it's got the "wow-factor" I am hoping for in a main shot. I hope you like it! This lodge is a restaurant but it's currently being remodeled and because of the long winter they are far behind on the renovations. Maybe we'll get the chance to eat there some day on a return trip! Pam, I did a search for "lake" and came up with a picture that looks a bit like Upper Klamath, namely one of your pictures of Lake Arbuckle ! :D Such a lovely view. Looks like a wonderful place for a picnic! By the way, thank you for your sweet comments about our trip…and I hope that your day has been a nice one! *BIG HUGS* Explored on 4/27/19, highest placement, #2.

(+6 insets!) I was planning to post a picture from San Anselmo today but… I was not prepared for today's overwhelming skies! I awoke feeling very happy just as the sky was starting to lighten. Looking outside, I didn't see anything special going on and Pumpkin and I hopped in the shower. However, after I got out and checked the sky I noticed the hint of pink appearing on the edges of a few clouds. "Oh boy…" I said to Pumpkin, "I wonder if it's going to be another amazing sunrise?!" She laughed at me. Well, I never! I was happy to see that the day was lightening very slowly. This gave me time to get everything done before the skies were bursting with beauty. I skedaddled outside and none-too-soon because the sky exploded into a kaleidoscope of colors that had me swooning from the beauty of it all. My picture of the day was the pinnacle of sherbet colors silhouetted behind pine and oak trees with the edge of the Upper Table Rock on the right. As the moments passed, the show continued to develop, with pink edge-lit clouds and so many pretty shades cast upon the sky. It was wondrous. I couldn't stop taking pictures, and at one point I found myself traipsing mindlessly through a huge patch of burrs while trying to get just the right angle for a silhouette picture. I looked down. "Oh Janet…your socks…they're completely covered in burrs!" Even my shoes and laces were adorned by the pesky little sticklers. I didn't care…I COULDN'T care! There were more sunrise pictures to be taken! I finally managed to get back onto our road to return to my exercise walk but every time I got to the spot where I take my sunrise panoramas I'd need to take more pictures! It's funny how similar most of them are now that I've looked at them on the computer but I couldn't risk the chance of missing the perfect shot! The skies turned blue, the clouds became white and grey with lovely edge lighting. More pictures! The pond rock got shadows on it and reflected in our pond along with trees and puffy clouds. More pictures! I walked around our pond to see how the reflections changed…you guessed it…MORE PICTURES! Oh dear…I was so out of control today! :D In fact, as Steve and I were making lunch, I looked out and the clouds were so incredible…MORE PICTURES! *face in hands* I am but a puppet for my camera…and just now Steve let me know the skies are totally amazing...yes…MORE PICTURES! In the end, I've posted 6 insets and I hope that you all enjoy the show! I certainly did! :) I do have to say that it's really liberating to post pictures that come from my phone camera. It's easy and available, and even though the quality isn't the best since they are only .jpgs, they are just fine. I fully admit that I was a snob about pictures from a DSLR vs. a point and shoot or phone camera. Ipernity has taught me to cut it out because again and again I've seen staggeringly beautiful pictures from some of our community and guess what? NOT from DSLR. And once I admitted that non DSLR pictures can be every bit as pretty, I've been having such fun sharing these photos!! Thanks for the important lesson, I needed that whack upside the head! No Snootiness Allowed! :D Pam, I have been thinking about you today. The beauty of the skies makes me so happy and glad that I can share some of what I see with the world. I looked at your pictures to see what sky and silhouette pictures you have…oh so many! Aren't we lucky to enjoy this passion together? We can both share these visual treasures to people everywhere in the world. I'm so glad that I have met you, Pam. It's nice to be riding in this boat down the river of life with you. *HUGGGGGGS*!! Explored on 1/16/19, highest placement, #5.

(+5 insets) (please view large) :) Time for another picture from our trip to Nathalie and Brian's place down in San Anselmo! First of all, can you tell what this is? I just love an abstract picture and part of the fun is trying to guess what it is. I think it's probably pretty obvious but maybe that's because I'm familiar with it! Read on to discover what this subject is! Nathalie's patio is located at the base of a steep hill (where I photographed the deer from yesterday's insets). Half-way up the hill are a pair of Strawberry Trees and between them hangs a very dead hammock. I don't know when it was last used, but I am positive that any attempt to sit in this hammock would result in you landing on the ground after crashing through the rotted rope strands. It has sat for too many seasons of rain and sun and has turned into a macro photographer's delight! The moment I got close to it, I saw that the rope strands had been covered with lichen and moss. One of the wooden spreader bars had been broken and as I looked up at the jagged end, I saw my picture. Lots of angles, lots of dofs, and I also got some tight shots of lichen growing on the rope strands. It was such fun to play with my creativity here and hopefully you like the results too! I am also posting a pair of sunrise pictures from yesterday that just blew me away! We often have staggeringly beautiful sunrises but I can't post them as main images because you'd all die of boredom! However, adding them as insets is perfect because I can share them without disrupting my photo stream with a million similar pictures. Yay for happy solutions! Pam, do you have hammocks at your home? There is nothing so wonderful as swinging gently back and forth and being lulled to sleep on a warm summer day. I hope this day is full of good things for you and lots of happy doggy kisses. I'm thinking of you all the time and feeling hopeful as the days approach for a few more answers to your stroke solution. Explored on 1/9/19, highest placement, #6.

(2 insets) (please view large!) :) Ok, who out there is a night owl? Raise your hand! *bounces up and down, waving both hands* Wait a second. I'm not a night owl! At least, not anymore. I USED to be. I never wanted to go to bed, and 1-3am was the best time to be up and doing stuff. In my early 20's I would watch "The Love Boat" from 12am to 1am and then "The Big Valley" from 1am to 2am. I would go running at 1 in the morning through our hilly San Francisco neighborhood, and loved the peace and serenity of the fog swirling around me. I liked to say that I was protected by the "cloak of darkness" and shrouded by the thick fog. I now look back at those days and shudder, especially my running at night. When Steve and I met back in 2000, we were delighted to share our love of the night. We were always pushing our bedtime and it wasn't uncommon to stay up until 4 in the morning on the weekends. We'd drag our tired bones into work on Monday morning, sorely regretting our bad decisions but funny enough, when Friday rolled around we were happily staying up until 4am again! Oh brother. Moving up to Oregon finally forced a change in our behavior. The jobs we had required getting up very early—in fact, poor Steve had to get up at 6am so I couldn't even complain about my 7am wakeup. To make matters worse, our bodies weren't as resilient as they once were and if we stayed up too late, boy did we regret it the next day. However, I began to notice that as long as I got a reasonable night's sleep, getting up earlier was actually quite nice! And, as time went on, I had to admit that as fun as it was to stay up late, it was actually MORE fun to get up earlier! Now I get up at 7am (sometimes even 6:45!) because I want to, and I wake up to the sound of Pumpkin peeping a cheery good morning as dawn begins to lighten the sky. One of my favorite parts of the day is going out on my daily hour-and-15-minute walk because I get to experience the world waking up around me. I get to see the sunrise every day! And, what an indescribable joy it is to hear the myriad birds twittering, tweeting, chirping and carrying on as they start their day. When it's cold enough, I get to appreciate the lovely frost all over everything. I get to enjoy Magic Hour every day! There's just nothing like this daily gift. In a radical about-face, I now think that staying up late is overrated and I will leave night-owling to the young and naive! :) Today began as usual until I saw the morning light on the floor...it was PINK. "HOLY COW!" I said, and opened the blinds..."Oh wow, it's going to be a gorgeous sunrise!" I knew I had time for my shower so Pumpkin supervised from her shower perch and I was in and out in a flash. Looking outside, I could hardly believe the intense cotton-candy pinks and lovely shades in the clouds. I was so excited I put my shirt on backwards! I was bouncing on one leg trying to get into my pants without falling over! Pumpkin laughed at me in amusement—it was the Crazy Mama-bird Show! I mimicked her laugh right back at her and we trotted downstairs on the double. I put her on her kitchen perch and stepped outside with my phone to take pictures of the amazing sunrise. I looked over at the window and there was Pumpkin, admiring the lovely scene as well. What a SHOW!! I took more pictures later when I went on my walk, and you will see some insets that show the progress of this amazing sunrise. Pam, let these beautiful sunrise images elicit oohs and ahhs, and reflect on the lovely sunrises out your window each day. As I look at my sunrise, and you look at yours, we can think of sharing these special moments together. Two friends holding hands and experiencing the magic of a new day. May your next sunrise be even prettier than today's! Explored on 12/10/18, highest placement, #8.

5 more pictures in notes above! This morning at 6:30am, I woke up to a very strange sight. Orange-red light was shining into the bedroom and turning the walls orange! I quickly got my glasses and when I turned to look outside, I nearly fell out of bed from the sight that you are now staring at! I was completely dazzled by this absolutely incredible sunrise for about two seconds, and then I leaped out of bed, thundered downstairs, jammed in my emergency 1 gig card, and flew back upstairs again. Even a few seconds later, the colors had changed from an even more red sky to what you see here, which is tinged with orange and yellow. I could not believe my eyes...this is the most beautiful sunrise I've ever seen here!! I took half a dozen more pictures, but within about two minutes, the colors had faded completely to a soft pink and then blue. The day had begun. And this time...I captured this magical sight!! I have another picture as an inset so you can see another version, but they are similar enough that I didn't make that one public. I wonder which you like better? I cannot say, they are different and both lovely. For me, it is a wonder to see a sunrise. I have been an incurable nightowl all my life, stubbornly loathing to be forced out of bed before 9am. But a couple of months ago, Steve and I decided we needed to change this. If we hoped to go on bike rides during the summer, getting up early was the only way we'd be able to do it. What surprised us both is that we not only didn't mind, we LIKED IT!! And so, this sunrise is like a reward for changing our waking hour. I am so happy to be awake at my favorite time of the day. It's incredibly special, isn't it? Horace Mann (May 4, 1796 – August 2, 1859) was an American education reformist. As a politician he served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1827 to 1833. He served in the Massachusetts Senate from 1834 to 1837. In 1848, after serving as Secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education since its creation, he was elected to the US House of Representatives. Mann was a brother-in-law to author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Wikipedia: Horace Mann Explored on August 30, 2013. Highest placement, page 1 (#27).

Dedicated to two of my dear Flickr friends whose sunrises I admire so much! To John Varley , who is so busy these days he barely has time to take pictures, but whose sunrises always come to mind when I think of him, and to John Edwards , who is always taking incredible landscape pictures at the crack of dawn. And to all of you crazy nuts who actually wake up as the sun comes up WITHOUT an alarm, I dedicate this picture to you!!! *big hugs* WHY am I up at dawn?! No, I haven't lost my marbles! Steve had to leave the house for a long drive so I made him coffee before he left! :D If any of you know me, you know I am an incurable night owl. I LOVE the early morning but I HATE getting up in the wee hours because I can never get to bed before 1am or later. This is why a sunrise is so amazing to me! I never see them!! :D Thus, I am always teasing both Johns to go back to sleep and question them as to why are they awake at o'dark hundred?! :D And for the rest of you crazy people out there, I've given you a fair share of harassment too! :) Don't worry, I don't hate you, I'm just jealous! :D