Saturday, June 9, 2018, 530 am, 61 degrees
One more beautiful and peaceful morning at Fair Oaks Bridge.
Today is the earliest I have ever arrived at Fair Oaks Bridge. I opened my front door to see a dense cloud cover and the beginning of a beautiful sunrise. I hurried to the bridge to enjoy the view. The air is cool with a slight breeze. Chickens and birds are awake. One chicken calls out every 10 seconds from Bridge Street – a short street ending at the entrance to Fair Oaks Bridge.
Today the eastern sky is blanketed with clouds that resemble row after row of huge sheets of deep gray cotton. Pale strips of blue sky peek out between the spaces. A golden glow slowly emerges at the horizon. Standing on Fair Oaks Bridge, I see the lower clouds reflect a deep orange glow. Trees lining the river are still in shadow.
As the sun rises higher, the river shimmers with a golden iridescent glow that shifts its position to match the rising sun. Shadows and shimmering light change shape as the sky brightens. Intense colors reflected through the clouds change minute by minute. Finally daylight reveals the hard edges of the bluffs and dense landscape along the river.
I marvel at this changing palette of color every time I see it. The spectacle of each sunrise caused by the earth’s rotation are moments of joy and wonder. Cloud patterns, whisper and chill of the wind, combined with the sounds and movement of wildlife change every day. Each new sunrise is a different experience.
Pigeons coo as they fly over the American River. They display their usual anxious morning attitudes. As the day brightens, a dozen resident pigeons settle into their morning routine: flying in circles over the bridge, resting briefly on the highest part of the truss frame, flying again and then landing on the deck for a walk searching for breakfast nibbles. Just as I think, it is too early for the Mallards to be out for a swim, I hear one quack.