Saturday Morning

This is how we spent last Saturday morning, before Auntie Teresa arrived:

I woke up early to pick up Brian from the all-night lock in at church. The sunrise coincided with my drive out to church:


A lock in means minimal sleep for all involved and a morning nap:


I worked out at a Cage Fitness class and then hit the road for a nice run in the glistening snow. I tried out another portion of the trail in the neighborhood:

The local neighborhood association must take care of this trail because most of the sidewalks in town are still covered in snow and ice. I greatly appreciate it!

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Day 360/365 - Mornings

While I wish I had this week off from work, I would have missed the gorgeous, sparkly landscape this morning.

I love the look of these red twig dogwood branches in winter. Covered in frost, they are even more beautiful.


I watched the sun rise as I approached the interstate ramp.


And that sun really made the pine trees at work sparkle:

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299/365 - Morning Coffee

I'm sure I've posted pictures of my beloved Starbucks coffee, but I don't think I've posted one this year.

The cooler air outside really makes that morning coffee taste better. Warm, steamy and cozy...

I make my coffee with 2/3 decaf and 1/3 full test coffee from Starbucks. I like to choose Starbucks' "seasonal" coffee and this fall I found this 25th Anniversary blend. I snatched up the last bag in the local store and haven't seen it since.



It's a perfect match for the Decaf Sumatra I'm blending it with, and that Pumpkin Spice syrup I'm using. Fall in a cup!

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297/365 - Candlelit Breakfast

Big surprise this morning - storms (well, that's really not too surprising), high wind (again, not surprising), and lots of rain.

Then, just after the storm passed through, the power went out. That was the surprise.

And as we were scrambling to light candles (yup, no flashlights, no surprise there), I noticed our neighbors in the cul-de-sac still had power! No fair!

Oh, well, at least we got to enjoy breakfast by candlelight.



And the power was restored 3 hours later.

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76/365 - Along the Highway

A bit of my morning commute this morning. Fog seems standard when our daytime temperatures tip over 60 and the nighttime lows dip into the 30s. With Daylight Savings time in effect, I head down the highway as the sun starts to rise above the fields.



The sun burned off most of the fog quickly, but left a soft, misty film that allowed the morning sun to cast its golden hue along the highway.



What did you see driving around today? If you look for beauty, you will find it, even along the road.

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62/365 - Breakfast Table

Taken at 7:17am this morning.


The sun was shining and the kids were eating their typical school day breakfast - Brian, a apple toaster strudel and Erica, a cherry toaster strudel. Erica is reading the comics from the morning paper.

I've noticed the sun rising earlier and earlier in the recent weeks. In a couple of weeks, when we go back to Daylight Savings Time, the sky will be dark outside during breakfast again.

So, I'll enjoy these bright mornings for the time being. And I know they will come again.

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Mosaic Monday - Hoar Frost

As much as I would like to "think Spring", the brilliance of Winter made me appreciate the cold yesterday, with thick hoar frost coating every surface outside.



Mary at Little Red House hosts Mosaic Monday - be sure to visit her and the other Mosaic contributors there.

Meanwhile, I have another 35 hoar frost pictures to sort through! Thank goodness we have President's Day off.

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228/365 - Morning Hike

We've been instructed not to venture outside before the sunrise and after sunset due to the potential to encounter bears and mountain lions. But this morning, Teresa offered to take "whoever was willing to get up for a pre-dawn hike" up to Bart's Point. All the adults staying in the lodge got up at 5:45 for the opportunity to watch the sunrise while on the mountain.

It was well worth the early morning power hike:


From this vantage point, you can see the stables below and over the Stonewall to the lake:


A happy couple picture:


The Lodge adults - Marta, Christine, Scott, Shirley, Pete and Allison


Our group with Teresa (thanks to Marta for taking the picture):

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218/365 - Summer Morning Routine

Today marks the last week the kids will participate in Day Camp (aka "7 Hours of Boredom", "Tortuous Camp" or any other negative name Erica thinks up). Really, I'm rather tired of the whole morning routine of dragging the kids from bed (with lots of whining "I'm so tired - do I HAVE TO GO to that torture camp?"), and preparing their lunches, cajoling them to eat and pack their lunches and snacks.
During the school year, I don't encounter half the attitude and complaining as I have endured this summer. Sigh.

To commemorate this last week, here's a picture of the lunch, snack stuff we (really, I) get together each morning. I should have taken the picture earlier, with the entire kitchen island covered with bags, lunch meat, panini maker, bread, water bottles and juice boxes, but I tend to put things away quickly.



I'm looking forward to the start of school and especially not having to make several lunches each morning!

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Last Early Morning Sun for Now.....

This morning's sunrise at the plant, around 6:45am

This is what we'll miss starting Sunday morning - with the time change back to Daylight Savings Time, it will be dark at 7:00am, with the sun starting to rise a little around 7:20. The one benefit - I'll get to watch the sun rise as I drive the kids to school / work. I also know the morning darkness is only temporary, and we get that extra daylight in the evening.

I'll have to remember that on Monday when I'm stumbling out of bed, half asleep.

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