Two Unexpected Gifts

The weather forecast called for rain, fog, clouds and snow throughout the next five days.  So when I woke up this morning and looked out over the channel, I was both surprised and happy to see blue sky behind the fog.  Sunshine??  No way!!  It was supposed to be nasty and grey all week.  But sure enough....there was blue sky and I quickly grabbed for my camera so I could record a few nice pictures  - just in case the blue sky was fleeting and the weatherman actually turned out to be correct.

All morning I alternated between work and observing the sky and mountains out of my office windows.  By mid-mornng I had watched the fog move from patchy to dense and all-encompassing, and resigned myself to the fact that the battle between the fog and the sunshine was going to be won by the fog. 

But then something wonderful happened.  By late morning the sun came out in full force and the mountains (at least on the Juneau side) were completely clear.  By lunch time I couldn't stand it anymore.  I grabbed my jacket and went outside to walk, with no particular destination in mind.

Scene of the cremation of Kowee (click on the picture to enlarge), and other pictures taken just a few minutes from work.

After realizing that the channel and Douglas Island were both still almost completely engulfed in fog, I decided to stay away from the water and instead walk up into the clear back hills of Juneau close to my office.  I have walked quite often in this area, but today on a whim decided to walk down a road and across a bridge that I had not been on before.  I was very glad that I did because I unexpectedly ran into a city outdoor space named Cope Park.  I did not have a chance to see all of it because I was running out of time and needed to get back to work, but it has beautiful easy and wide open trails and a peaceful creek that runs alongside it.  Very pretty place and I will have to go back again another day to explore it further.

On this Friday of what turned out to be a tough week for me, I unexpectedly received two quiet gifts that I had not seen coming - a sunny day when I expected only grey and rain - and a pretty park that is located only minutes from my work place, when I was just beginning to think that I had seen all there is to see close by.

Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.......John Muir