In Annie Get Your Gun, Annie Oakley sang about all the things she did not have, but she had the sun and the moon to brighten her day and was glad of that.
Life really is not about how much money we have or the things we accumulate, it is about the intangibles like love and friendship and of course starting the day like this.
Want to watch this morning’s sunrise unfold? Here it is
And what day would not be complete without the moon at night.
If you have followed my adventures for any time, you know that I LOVE sunrise. Sunsets are awesome, but there is something about a dark sky evolving into light — sometimes with riotous color and sometimes soft pastels — that just makes my day!
Taxco being a mountain town with many ups and downs, there are many vantage points for overlooking the city. My room though, located on the fourth floor overlooking the valley to the East, offers the perfect vantage point for viewing the sunrise over the surrounding mountains.
I could lie in bed and watch the sun come up, if I wanted to, yet stepping out onto my terrace balcony, where I have an unobstructed view of the “puesta del sol,” while breathing in the fresh morning air, is almost a spiritual experience. Each new day is a fresh palette, painting a new masterpiece never to be seen again. How can I miss even one?
I share with you here some of the more spectacular daybreaks. Grab a “cuppa” and sit back and enjoy the show.
Back a while ago, I was posting pictures of spectacular sunrises over the mountains. Flaming reds, oranges, and golds dashed across a molten sky. They were awesome and took my breath away. Waking up in the morning was a feast for the eyes and a boost for the whole day.
At the time there were discussions about what made the sunrises here so spectacular. Was it ash from the volcano or other debris in the air? Was it the location of Taxco? The location of my house on the side of the mountain? The angle of the sun? What? What? What?
In late February, the sky became mostly cloudless. Without clouds to add their puffy, rolling, or roiling influence, most sunrises were a calm, pastel rainbow of shades from pale yellow to coral to pink to violet.
I was away much of March and when I returned to Taxco I noticed another shift in my sunrise watching. No longer could I see the sunrise from my door; I had to go outside. And even then, the view of the sun rising in the valley below was obscured by one of the mountains of Taxco.
And so it remains. Each day, the world turns a little more and with that so has the location of the sunrise. Oh I can see the sunrise from here, but only the afterglow IF there are clouds high enough above to reflect the rays. The colors are more muted and last just a moment; it is not the slow awakening of the day it once was.
And if no high clouds? The light just gets brighter and brighter until the sun itself rises above the buildings.
But there are enough of those special moments to keep me watching. Here’s a glimpse of a few of those “high clouds” days over the last few weeks.
With the change to daylight savings time and the continued movement of the sun around and behind the mountain, I fear there may be few sunrises to share with you before I leave. But, rest assured — if a spectacular sunrise comes along, I will certainly do so.
It is said, “That you do not know what you have until its gone.” In other words, take nothing for granted.
I was very aware that I could not see the sunrise in Ocotito, mostly because I did not know where to go to see it. Lil’s parent’s house was on the wrong side of the hill, the house was dark until well after sunrise, and the yard was too obscured by trees to see much of anything anyway.
Even the one sunset I managed to catch was a bit mild mannered.
So imagine my joy and wonder as the sky welcomed me back to Taxco with riotous color this morning!
There was even color over the Zocolo!
Oh sunrise, how I have missed thee!
Makes me realize just what a wonderful vantage point I have to view this glorious show each morning.
I will never take this view for granted.
That’s gift in Spanish.
Last night, just as I was heading to bed, I heard a deep rumble. There was a flash of lightning and all of a sudden the sky opened up and it poured. Listening to the sound of the pouring rain is a very soothing way to go to sleep. A gift.
Perhaps even better was the gift for my eyes that the storm clouds presented this morning.
Regalo glorioso!
I saw my first sunset in Taxco today. Since the sun drops behind the mountains long before it sets, seeing any color at night is most unusual.
But wait, the sunset (r) was in the exact same place as the sunrise (l) this morning!
“How is that?” I asked my friend. And she responded with “January is crazy; February more” which may explain the ups and downs of the weather but not why the sun is setting in the east.
Having no logical explanation of this phenomenon, I will merely share the photos of this morning’s sunrise with you. Enjoy!
If you have followed my adventures for any amount of time, you know that I love sunrise. To me, there is no better way to start the day than in the peacefulness of the early morn, as the birds awaken and begin to sing, hearing the breeze rather than the rush of traffic, feeling the lingering coolness of the night as the day slowly brightens.
The variety of that early morning palette never ceases to amaze me. Vivid or pastel, cloud filled or mostly clear, the changes that occur between darkness and sun up are always a wonder to ponder.
Living at the top of a four story house on a hill overlooking the city gives me a great vantage point for watching the sun come up. Being in the mountains though is a different experience than being at the seashore.
At the shore, the sun rises over the horizon culminating in that glorious golden globe painting the sky and turning the sea to a golden rivulet surrounded by diamonds.
It comes up right on time, when the almanac says it should.That is not true of sunrise in the mountains.
In the mountains sunrise is slower. By the time the sun actually breaks the horizon, the actual sunrise is long past — maximum beauty occurs a good 10-15 minutes before that golden orb lifts above the mountain tops. When it finally crests, all that usually happens is a mighty brilliance that just makes an already bright and beautiful day complete.
Occasionally though the clouds and the light work out just right, like this day:
Which do you prefer? The slow awakening of a mountain sunrise or the instant gratification of the seashore?
How do you greet the sunrise where you are?
Since I have such a fabulous vantage point at sunrise, by popular demand, I am sharing my view with you. Enjoy!
Without getting out of bed, I can watch the sunrise over the mountains. Usually the sky is clear and sunrise is just a matter of the sky fading from black, to indigo, to violet, fuchsia, coral, golden, and then the blaze of the sun over the blackness of the landscape. Lately though, we have had a lot of clouds, making for some spectacular sunrises.
For my friends back home who are discouraged because they have not seen the sun for three weeks now, this one is for you!
The Adventures of Blue Bear 