Gifts, surprises, and prizes

One of the great things about the start of school in the fall is the change in time, or really timing.  I left at 6:20 when it was dark, but I forgot my phone and I had to rewind my morning a bit.  It was 6:40 when I finally left, and soon I was glad that I had to "waste" that time.  If I hadn't I would have missed one of the most spectacular sunrises I have ever seen.  I drive by a small lake called Marl Lake and as I drove by, I caught a brief glimpse of red and when I drove into the lot, I saw this sunrise.  These few photos cover about 15 minutes--by 7:00 the sky was fading.  I always use Photoshop lightly and only to sharpen and slightly adjust the exposure and the color if it makes people green.  The sky truly and honestly looked just like these photos--no filters, not tricks, just a pretty good painter.

What a gift, what a surprise, and what a prize to start the day.