The Phoenix

One of the thrilling things about being on the Oregon coast is experiencing the frequent winter storms blowing down from the Gulf of Alaska. Wind gusts can reach 70 mph, near hurricane strength, and the rains can be torrential. A few months ago while watching one of these storms approach, I grabbed my camera to capture the sun breaking through the black clouds about 30 minutes before sunset. I underexposed the shot by two stops to turn the already very dark clouds black, but otherwise I did not manipulate the image. When I looked at the photo on my computer, I saw something I had missed at the time I clicked the shutter. Within the bright area in the center where the sun is trying to break through, there is a gray shape in the clouds that for all the world looks to me like a bird. An eagle? Maybe a phoenix? It took me only a few seconds to see this as a very hopeful symbol of my journey through the darkness of Alzheimer’s disease. I hope you like it as much as I do.