November 14th, 2016

Well, I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed.  Tim and I made it a point to be at the beach last night to get a photo of the "Supermoon".  It was a little cloudy but still an interesting shot.  Kind of a Van Gogh-ness to it.  After getting this shot, we stayed awhile. Beckoned by the cocoon of the beach in the dark quiet, we walked to the end of the jetty.   We heard, rather than saw, the water smacking hard up against the rocks, the occasional splash of a silly fish jumping out of the water and to our surprise, as we neared the end of the jetty, the sound of voices talking quietly in that stillness.  Clearly we weren't the only ones lured out there.  Feeling a little lackluster about this photograph, we vowed to come back in the early morning.  Moonrise wasn't until about 6:30 am afterall. Perhaps we could capture a better photo of this annual sky event then.

So we rose early Monday morning.  In itself, not  unusual for us as we usually walk in the early morning anyway.  But this was more purposeful.  We threw off the covers and threw on our clothes,  jumped in the car and drove to the jetty.  It was still full dark.  We drove under streetlights in that kind of quiet that only occurs before sunrise.   It always feels a little "Twilight Zone" to be out in the world that time of day. Nothing seems exactly right. All senses are a little heightened. 

Perhaps it was the darkness or maybe the stillness, but as we approached the jetty this time, I could already tell that this photo wasn't going to happen.  Clouds.  Lots and lots of clouds. No moon at all. Or at least none that we could see. This time I was very disappointed.  We turned around and began the drive back. Then I spotted this.

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The absence of moonlight and the quiet stillness of the water provided a perfect mirror for this sailboat's reflection.  It depicts the silent mood of the early morning perfectly.  This wasn't the photograph I was seeking today. But it's the one I have. And maybe, in the end, it was the better choice.

I believe that happens a lot in life.  Sometimes we don't get what we thought we wanted. Instead, we get what we never knew we always wished for.  Pretty awesome.