Celestial Connection

On an unseasonably warm winter’s late afternoon, I headed to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in hopes of seeing the thousands of snow geese and tundra swans that hang out there. They did not disappoint. I shot a few hundred photos of the birds soaring and swirling. My day was complete—or so I thought. I watched the sunset, then packed up my camera gear, ready to head home. But as I made my way down Wildlife Drive, twilight set in, and this view stopped me in my tracks. There’s nothing like the deep, vibrant blue of the sky at twilight. Add a touch of post-sunset orange, a dramatic moon, and the planet Venus—and I was spellbound. I was the only human on Wildlife Drive, surrounded by the distant honks of geese, getting ready to settle in for the night. Serenity indeed. CS