Sunrise after the rain

Moisture in the air at sunrise creates some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets.  Thursday morning was such an example. Daylight began under heavy cloud cover.

I got the dogs packed and drove to my usual spot on a forest service road off AZ92, three miles from the house.  It was 6:40 and sunrise wasn't slated to begin until 7:20am.  The dogs were barely out of the Honda and marking their territory when another car pulled in across from me.  Normally the few vehicles I see on this short road are Forest Service, BLM or USBP vehicles, and they all drive on to the multi-agency workshop down the road.  This vehicle, however, parked across from where the dogs like to defecate.  What was going on?

It turns out it was an amateur photographer who wanted to photograph the sunrise.  He pulled out his tripod and wanted to set up at this location. Downed grass in that area from weeks ago made me think someone had pulled over to carcamp there, but this man probably had been here before several times.  We stopped to chat and introduced each other.  The dogs gave him a thorough sniffdown but weren't barking or growling.  The startled man is Sean Y. It turns out we both are members of the Facebook group "Cochise County and Its Wonders" and contribute photographs of the area.  I haven't been active since 2016 when my Canon 6D took fog damage from my road trip to Washington state, but I still enjoy looking at others' photographs.  I feel so lucky living in such beautiful country.

Ten minutes later, by 6:50, morning nautical twilight brought in enough light for me to walk safely.  I walked my usual Z route, first east, then north, then east again, then turning around and returning the way I came.  This way I have mostly an eastern look at the horizon as the sun slowly pushes its way up over the Mule mountains.  Today's light was a beautiful pastel of orange, pink and reds as the moisture in the air created a watercolor painting.  I regretted not having my LG v30 phone with me and only my LG Stylo4.  The stylo simply doesn't take eye-catching photos as the more advanced v30s.

Once the sun came up, though, the light quickly dulled.  The low clouds prevented any more colors to form as the sun quickly hid behind the clouds.

Sunset was as spectacular as the sunrise, with precipitation still in the air.  This time, though, I was at the Alternative Learning Center and couldn't go outside to photograph the splendor.

The man I met in the morning, however, posted his photograph on the Facebook group and mentioned the dogs and me. (Click on the photograph to enlarge it)