Savoring sunrise in Wisconsin

The start of a promising day 

I enjoyed savoring a few days away in Wisconsin with family and friends over the Fourth of July holiday.  There was something extra special about watching the sun come up over a lake.

I'm always in awe of the gradual nature of the sunrise and sunset.  The sun arrives and departs quietly and gradually  every day, whether or not we're up to watch.  Sometimes the sun is trapped behind the clouds, and we often errantly claim "the sun isn't out".

When the sun has to shine through a lot of particulate matter in the horizon it appears orange, which makes for an especially brilliant display.

Large mouth bass (foreground)

Photographers love the window of time at dusk and dawn that is called the "golden hour", because of the rich golden light.  This tends to be a great time to take pictures, when there isn't the harsh bright light that comes as the sun rises higher in the sky.

One of the other bonuses about the early morning is that it seems to be a favorable time for fishing!