Stay Long Enough

August 23rd, 2026

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Yesterday morning didn't exactly go as planned.

I got up early, gathered all my gear, drove out before sunrise, and then realized I'd forgotten my memory cards.

Not exactly the best way to start a morning of photography.

There wasn't much I could do about it at that point, so I stayed and watched the sunrise. And honestly, it was beautiful. I enjoyed being out there, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bummed that I couldn't photograph any of it.

So when I headed back out the next morning, I was definitely eager to try again.

I got there before sunrise, while the trees were still mostly silhouettes and there was just a little bit of pink starting to show along the horizon. The crickets were still going, and a thick layer of fog had settled over the fields.

I didn't really have much of a plan.

I just started walking.

The farther I went, the more the morning started to change. The sky went from pink to purple and blue, the fog hung over the fields, and eventually the sun started breaking through the trees.

It was just a really nice morning to be outside.

I found a couple of woodpeckers high in the trees. I stopped for a spider web covered in moisture and found a spider sitting right in the middle of it. I walked the paths, crossed the bridge, watched the fog, and just took my time.

And honestly, I would have been perfectly happy if that had been the morning.

But just about the time I was getting ready to wrap things up, I started noticing American goldfinches.

Goldfinches aren't exactly rare around here, but for whatever reason they've been pretty good at avoiding me when I have my camera. I've seen them plenty of times, but getting photographs of them that I've actually been happy with has been a different story.

So, of course, I stayed a little longer.

I watched them move around the tops of the trees and finally had a few opportunities to make some photographs.

Then, while I was still hanging around, I noticed a hummingbird moving through some nearby flowers.

At that point, I definitely wasn't leaving.

I watched it make its way from flower to flower and tried to keep up with it through the camera. Eventually it flew over to a branch and sat there for a little while, giving me another chance to photograph it.

Standing there after everything that had happened over the previous two mornings, I couldn't help but laugh a little.

The day before, I'd gone out hoping to make photographs and forgotten the one thing I needed to actually do it.

This morning, I really didn't go out looking for anything in particular. I was mostly just grateful to be back outside with a camera that actually had memory cards in it.

And somehow, just as I was getting ready to leave, the goldfinches showed up.

Then the hummingbird.

It almost felt like nature had saved the best for last.

Maybe that's part of what I enjoy so much about mornings like this.

You really don't know what you're going to find.

Sometimes it's a great sunrise. Sometimes it's fog hanging over a field. Sometimes it's a spider web you probably would have walked right past if you weren't paying attention.

And every once in a while, just when you think you're done for the morning, a goldfinch or a hummingbird gives you a reason to stick around a little longer.

I don't think yesterday was a wasted morning because I forgot my memory cards. I still got to watch a beautiful sunrise, and maybe having to simply stand there and enjoy it wasn't such a bad thing.

But I was definitely grateful to have another morning to come back out.

And I'm really glad I stayed as long as I did.