A little sunrise “present” this morning to start off my Christmas Day. It was great to finally NOT have a gray, rainy & overly clouded morning. It felt good to start my day with a nice bike ride… now bring on the Christmas treats & sweets!!!

A quiet morning along the lake… practically clear skies early on with just a few flying low along the horizon. But then the contrails seemed to appear from nowhere… criss-crossing the sky with colorful stripes!

Dramatic clouds this morning… including an interesting “beam” of sunrise brightness shooting upwards early on. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this sort of sunrise effect before… not really sure what was going on?! Soon enough though, the clouds lit-up, the sun showed off for a few minutes and then went back behind the clouds… most likely for the rest of the day!

Not a cloud in the sky again… so another beautiful bike ride again! You know I prefer clouded sunrise drama… but I’ll take a clear & quiet serene bike ride now & again. And today was the perfect start to the day. And now it’s time to get ready, re-stock, & replenish for Day Two of my HOLIDAY HOME SHOW. C’mon by…

A beautiful morning along the lakefront… not a cloud in the sky! Clear skies & warmer weather made it quiet & serene along the lake. Without the clouds to play with… you gotta “get creative” with the morning photos. And I LOVE the ones with the seed pods in the sunshine!!!

Another beautiful morning with a few wispy clouds blowing though the city. It started with a low & kinda uneventful layer low on the horizon… but luckily, the clouds spread & opened up to catch the colors as the sun came up.

It was much warmer & not so damp this morning. But the wind was blowing around EVERYwhere!!! Swirling around, dead leaves blowing, gusting & trying to blow me off my bike. So funny. A bit tougher to pedal into the wind… but the sunrise made it all worthwhile!

After a long stretch of gray, damp, cold & sometimes snowy mornings… it was great to start today with a beautiful sunrise. And I’m probably one of the few who actually look forward to the Fall time change… as it gives me an “extra” hour of morning to play on my bike with the sunrise!

Another early start for another beautiful sunrise bike ride. Some people have asked “what time I start to ride”… and it kinda depends on the season & when the actual sunrise is… as the “pretty part” where the colors all change is about a half hour before the sun actual crests the horizon. Currently, because the sunrise is so late… I’m heading out when it is still pitch black about 5:45am. As you can see the dark skyline shots that were taken this morning just past my turn-around point about 10 miles in. Then I pedal towards home hoping to catch the “actual” sunrise before I get there. I’m one of the few people who actually look forward to the Fall time change… as it effectively gives me another hour in my morning before I need to head-off to work! More time to play along the lake & enjoy the sunrise!!! Sure, it’s early… but look at this!!!

With a pile of clouds along the horizon, today started with some early morning drama… some colorful cloud-play… a chill in the air… and then the sun went back behind the clouds. The colors may have dissipated, but it made an appearance again when it finally made it “over” the clouds!