I Meant to Say This Earlier

That is -- Good morning! What a beautiful, shining, sparkling morning after yesterday's rain! The day called out to Sarah, as it did to me, and we had to make time for a little adventure before our day in the bookstore. 

The water at the Bight looked heavenly in the morning sun.

Inland, away from the water, the world was no less lovely.

Sarah waited patiently while her dog-mom obsessed over tiny flowers and leaves and stones along the road (even bindweed and chicory looked great to me) -- and then we stretched our legs and ran back to the car, just for the fun of it!

Here are the fossil treasures I collected this morning. Sarah has her olfactory memories, and I my pocket objects.

Plan and Be Surprised

This is the photo I planned to take. I made the shot in color and processed the color out afterward, with the result pretty much what I'd had in mind.

The surprise was on the fence along the road, visible here in a first trial exposure. What is -- or was -- this little critter? Did the farmer hang its corpse on the fence as a warning to others of its kind? As food for birds of prey? Just because?

There are always surprises along the road, and when you live in the slower-than-slow lane, there's time to take note of them. My new belief is that one can find Petoskey stones on any gravel road: just pick a spot, stand in that place, and look. A couple of perfect little specimens rewarded my patience this morning.

This is one of my favorite times of year. The oldest, biggest trees are blushing like adolescents, feeling their sap rise. You can see it in their lofty crowns, impressionistic against a bright blue sky. The world is new again, getting a fresh start.