The Girl Who Captured the Sun, Take 2

Special Blippiversary Note

Two years ago this week, I bought a new digital camera. The next day, a friend in Ireland (whom I've never met in person - I'm based in the U.S., Pennsylvania to be specific) talked me into joining Blipfoto. What a wonderful adventure it's been since then! This Blip marks my 730th.

I quickly became addicted to Blipping and I haven't missed a day since then. There were days that I went out of my way to try to find something lovely to photograph because I knew people here would be looking at my pictures. I wanted to capture something special not just for myself (as my life is and always has been a neverending story about the pursuit of beauty), but for those other Blippers who might be looking as well.

And by doing that, I've seen marvelous things I never would have seen otherwise, just because I made the effort to go out of my way. I would have settled for far less than this - far less than the glories I've seen each day - had it not been for Blip. :-) Thank you, one and all.

My loyal visitors already know this, but maybe there will be some visitors who stop by for this Blip who have never visited my page yet. So - welcome, one and all! My format is generally to provide for each Blip posting one picture, one story, and one song (and those who know me best know that I am always looking for an excuse to sneak in yet one more Springsteen tune).

About This Image

Last week, I stumbled into a wonderful photo opportunity, just by happening to be in the right place at the right time. I was driving home from work and the sun  was setting. I was looking around for a place to pull over to capture a few shots.

And so I pulled into a little cemetery that I love, and I found that the gazebo at the edge of a small line of trees provided a perfect opportunity for me to capture the sun! And indeed, last week's posting had that title: The Girl Who Captured the Sun.

I took many, many photos on that day, but I could only post one single shot here, which broke my heart, as there was so much more to see. And I wished for another chance at a sunset through that gazebo so I could show you the rest of the scene. Well, on this day, I am happy to report that I got my wish!

The snow conditions have been unusually shiny here lately because our latest winter storm started with a few inches of snow but ended with a layer of ice. And then the next day there was melting followed by a refreeze that turned the crust into what I realized was slippery, but what I did not realize would provide such an awesome reflecting surface.

And so I present to you on this day my second attempt at the graveyard gazebo sunset shot. This time, from a vantage point further away, with a slightly different palette in the sunset, and with that wonderful reflecting surface beneath. It has been very, very cold here, and the temperature around the time I took this photo was quite a few degrees below freezing. The sun was sinking, and I knew I only had a few minutes to capture a few shots.

So I raced to the cemetery, pulled into the icy lane carefully, and drove back to the gazebo, where I leaped out of the car with my camera and knelt in the snow. (Funny how I always seem to end up on the ground when I'm taking pictures. But hey, at least it was snow this time and not mud, which is my usual choice of inelegant knee-wear.)

The light is precious this time of year, as the days grow ever shorter. And for those of us who are sun lovers (as I am - a surprising percentage of my photos on Blip feature sunrises), it is tempting to despair; to worry that the darkness will claim us; that the light will never return. But that is nonsense, my friends. The sun is here. It can never leave us now. For I am the girl who captured the sun . . .

The song for this special day: how surprised are you that it's a Springsteen tune? :-)  The song to accompany this image is Light of Day. Bruce Springsteen wrote it, and Joan Jett performed it (in fact, hers was the first version I ever heard). So here are two versions, one sung by the Boss, and the other sung by Joan Jett with Bruce on guitar. Enjoy!