Back to the City

It’s daylight saving time, once again! This time, the change means that the sunrise occurs an hour later. I guess that most people took it to heart to sleep in, as it was quiet in the sleepy suburb (not just a cliché, this time) near Denver’s Sloan Lake, but across the county line in Jefferson County, in the tiny town of Edgewater. In particular, I returned to Citizen’s Park in Edgewater to catch the sunrise, as I had previously, several times in the past.

I’ve returned to Edgewater on other occasions, but I think this is the first to coincide with the change in our clocks. It was quieter than usual, with less traffic—and I had really thought that the reality would be the opposite. When the drone reached 380 feet (~116 meters) above ground level, the park was silent except for a few waking birds: crows, grackles and banded woodpeckers, for the most part. I had pictured more people around, following their internal clocks. Every neighborhood has its own rhythms, and I may have just missed the hustle and bustle of the nightlife in this part of town?

The sky this morning was exceptionally clear, in contrast to the images shown previously. Sloan Lake has many alternate spellings, sometimes “Sloan’s Lake” or just “Sloans Lake” and a single map can sometimes show multiple versions as well. Just to the southwest of the park there is a new commercial development with shops and restaurants. More restaurants line Sheridan Boulevard along the western edge of the lake, as well as more retail shopping centers.

In addition to being clear and calm, the temperature was cool. Before the sun rose, the pre-dawn glow silhouetted the skyscrapers of the Central Business District in downtown Denver. The water of the lake was also calm, although some geese were rousing themselves and about to disturb the placid waters. The city appears to float in the following picture, reflected trees forming, for all appearances, the underside of the city itself.

Of course, the rising of the sun added to the drama. Although if you know the story of the formation of the lake by a farmer accidentally flooding the area when trying to dig a well to an underground aquifer, drama is second nature to the area! Speaking of drama, I have another announcement…

Coming soon!

This week will mark the arrival of a new feature here: Wordless Wednesday! You can probably guess the content? I hope you like it…

Returning to Edgewater, the skyscrapers of the city still appeared to float, especially in the reflected blue of the Colorado HIGH SKY!

When the sun rose, it appeared to be what I like to call “Denverhenge” as a riff on the sun shining between the trilithons at Stonehenge.

Of course, it was exciting to see the results of the Tiny Planet panorama featuring this neighborhood. The sky is still clear as I write this, but it was a deep rich blue this morning at sunrise.

Thanks for reading all the way to the “edge of the water” and to the end of this article! I look forward to hearing what you think.