Sunrise

K and I rode out the door before sunrise this morning onto frozen trails and into the frigid air. I love this time of day, the dawning of a new day, full of promise and plans. The eastern horizon was pink and the forest was light but the sun hadn't peeked over the rocky ridge yet.

I kept K in a tight heel for the start of our snowbike ride. The wildlife love dawn as much as I do.

Soon, the sun appeared on the horizon, lighting the snow gold.

When K looked toward the sunrise, it was reflected in her eye. Can you see it?

K's chocolate fur lit up in that rich rusty hue that only sunrise and sunset can paint.

A wonderful moment. I never regret being outside for the dawn of a new day. The world feels so clean and new, like a freshly erased whiteboard waiting for a drawing.

K was full of energy and mischief. I've given her a break from her muzzle since it snowed. Unfortunately, based on her behavior, I think that she was digging dried old mushrooms out of the snow today. In small quantities, the mushrooms that the squirrels hide and K finds are no big deal. However, I think that the muzzle may return tomorrow.

In the photo below, I'd just called her away from a digging enterprise. The flick of her tongue gave her away. She flicks her tongue when she's nervous, like when I catch her digging up mushrooms.

Soon, the day became clear and bright. Some hoar frost had formed overnight on the few remaining leaves on the rose bushes. The world still glittered like yesterday.

Today, I knew that I had a long and difficult day ahead of me. What a joy to start it with a snowbike ride and K at sunrise!

The other night, we had two surprise visitors to our clearing in the woods. Here was the first one: Tiny the Black Bear. He had a coyote shadow throughout his long visit to our clearing. I'll tell you more about the fascinating interactions between the two of them in an upcoming post.