Morning

Morning is a simple sharing of a quiet time when birds are starting to sing, herons and egrets are leaving their nests and deer and fox are going to ground.

It's sunrise over Wharton's Cove and the James Farm Ecological Preserve, my front porch view, and there's never a day I don't feel an immense sense of awe as I witness the sun's rays climb.

The months between fall and spring on the coast bring glorious colors. It's something to do with the angle of the sun and the drops of moisture in the air.

Some mornings are quite dramatic, with sunlight gilding cloud edges and rays streaming downward. Some are stormy, making the house shudder, sending trees bending and filling marshes to overflowing. Even the birds go to ground. Others fill me with such a sense of peace, like the one portrayed in oils here.

I like to gather my coffee and just sit, watch and listen. It fills me with gratitude.

Morning is available as a giclee print through the Ellen Rice Gallery. The original sold within a half hour of hanging it.