Moonrise Over Lake Moreau

So many happy coincidences occurred on Saturday night: the full moon rose just at perigee, creating a "super moon" bigger and brighter than any other moon this year; a cloudy day cleared  to a blue-sky evening perfect for viewing that moon; and to top it off, Moreau Lake State Park offered an evening paddle, allowing for unobstructed viewing of the moonrise from out on the lake.  Of course, I had to join in.  Here are some scenes from this wonderful evening.



 Paddlers set forth on a breezy lake, as the sky began to clear.

Mare's Tails soared across the sky, looking like angels' wings.

A happy group of paddlers made for a colorful parade.

Shorebirds sought an evening meal before settling in for the night.  I believe that this is a Lesser Yellowlegs, stopping off for a rest on its way to the Arctic.

 Another view of that shorebird.  We wondered if it might rather be a Solitary Sandpiper, but its legs are definitely yellow, not dark, as the sandpiper's would be.

As the sun sank behind the mountains, some clouds moved in to provide for a colorful sunset.

As the evening darkened, the breeze died down and all was still.  The "sleeping woman" profile of the mountains added to the quiet serenity of the moment.

As the sky grew ever darker, Venus revealed her lovely light high over the western mountains.

Before long, we began to see a light behind the hills to the east, and then, at last, a glowing orb appeared above the trees and cast its golden light upon the water.

Newspapers and websites will offer all kinds of perfect photos of this extraordinary moon.  My photo is far from perfect (shot in the dark from a rocking canoe), but I think it is beautiful anyway.