As I view this in all its 12 inch glory, I am a little disappointed all the details aren't visible as they appear in the 44 inch width of my original. Oh well, it can't be helped.

The beach at sunrise has become a bit of an obsession for me. The sky is never the same; the ocean, the birds, the sand and the air can vary dramatically. And so on this particular morning as my friend Viktoria and I arrived to take in the early beauty of the beach at Port Aransas, we were met with a spectacular sight. A storm had recently swept through, taking with it the seaweed we were accustomed to seeing and leaving behind a huge bent log, rising up from the sand like a large sea creature. The sky took my breath away!

Normally one can drive on the sandy road that runs beside the dunes separating the water from the homes. What a shock to see no road at all. A layer of water, maybe 3 inches deep was continually supplied by unusual, low waves.

We parked a distance away and walked in the very shallow water to inspect the beached log and to marvel at the inspirational sky. The wind was whipping Vik's orange dress and hair, taking my voice away with it. She could barely hear me calling out to her to move this way and that. Vik is not a professional model but did a masterful job of creating lyrical movement for my camera.

Perhaps the most beautiful feature of this sunrise was the large opening in the clouds which allowed white light to pour onto my subject. I am still awestruck by the fact, and grateful as well, that there are never many people on the beach at sunrise. On this morning, we had it all to ourselves.