Tag Archives: Morning

Nature

Morning Run. Pure Sunrise Magic.

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Good morning! You up already? I’d like to invite you on a sunrise walk this Saturday morning. We’ll follow one of my regular routes, if that’s ok.  And jog or run a little too.

We’ll take the walkway from the garden to the beach. Right away we’ll see the magic of sunrise: the usually white sand now has a pretty pinkish hue.

on the beach at sunrise

And the ocean is bright blue. We jog north towards the nature reserve. The sand is packed tight by overnight rains. It’s easy on the foot, we start running. Over a long stretch of sand leading to the park, we turn around and take a funny selfie. Nobody is tiny this early in the morning.

Tiny sunrise walk

The sun is rising over the tall trees (featured image), and we jog into the park at the west end of the salt marsh.

nature reserve at sunset_tonemapped

This little path, a shortcut, is flanked by cheerful wild flowers and takes us right to the water.

nature reserve morning_tonemapped

It’s completely still. And the morning air is fresh.

sunrise salt marsh_tonemapped

The first rays reach above the tall trees and paint the grass and the water in beautiful hues. Most birds are still sleeping.

blue heron at sunrise2_tonemapped

But we find that the Great Blue Heron is an early riser. He prefers to hide in the high grass and doesn’t want to pose for pictures. So we continue our walk. We’ll actually run for a little while.

roseate spoonbill 2 at sunrise_tonemapped

And stop in our tracks when we see the only other early bird in the marsh.  A Roseate Spoonbill. She looks like she’s just waking up. Maybe trying to decide what she wants for breakfast.

SUNRISE AT NATURE RESERVE 2

We then continue to the east end of the marsh, now half lit up by the rising sun. Beautiful, right?  We stop for a little while to enjoy the painting. We take a few deep breaths. And a sip of water. But we must continue if we want to get breakfast at some point. And coffee. So we decide to take the fastest route back home, the street.

birds at sunrise all varieties 3

We now jog south on the bay-side. On a street light next to the Sailing Center, we find a dozen smaller birds of several varieties worshipping the rising sun. And enjoying the quiet of the morning. It’s going to be a busy day on the beach and on the bay too.

We’ll be home in another ten minutes. Thanks for keeping me company this morning. Take care now and have a great weekend.

 

 

Travel

Roasted. It’s good for you.

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Good Friday morning! Have you ever woken up to the finest fragrance of coffee being roasted? That smells morning! Almost as good as the actual liquid you’ll be able to enjoy just a bit later. When we lived in Ethiopia, that’s how I often knew it was time to get up. I am not a morning person, but the thought of newly roasted strong coffee was a great motivator to get up.

Roasting Coffee/tiny lessonsblog

In addition to waking me up, moderate coffee drinking may actually be good for me. Research has recently almost agreed on that. I’m not talking about those who drink 4 or more cups per day, but just having a couple of cups to improve my mood, make my thoughts run faster, jump-start my fat burning machinery, lower my risk for liver diseases and dementia, and maybe even lower my risk to die prematurely. What’s there not to love?

While in Ethiopia, I learned to appreciate the ceremonial, more soulful side of coffee drinking as well. A traditional “coffee ceremony”, where the coffee was prepared from scratch in front of the guests, was often performed at special work related occasions and when visiting the homes of Ethiopian friends. Below one such festive occasion where I wore the Ethiopian national dress – and high heels.

Later, when I frequently traveled to Turkey for work, I got the taste for their strong coffee too. It was served in the morning at breakfast, and then throughout the day in the office. Often with a glass of water. Too much of that dark goodness could easily keep one up the whole night. I can tell. I used to joke that the coffee was so strong one could leave the spoon standing straight up in the cup. But good it was.

My most decadent cup of coffee, however, was enjoyed in Paris one rainy and unseasonably cold September night four years ago.  When it “pours cats and dogs” in Paris, one can take some liberties. So the weather conditions were an excellent excuse to enjoy this rich coffee….as well as the cup.

You can see that the cup where this coffee dessert was served was not made of fine china, but of dark milk chocolate. Yummy.

My most surprising cup of coffee was served on my second visit to Egypt about six years ago. It was not so much the strong Egyptian coffee that I’d had already enjoyed on my first trip, but the condiment it came with. A striking view of the Khafre pyramid just after sunrise right in front of my breakfast table. That was good coffee. And I enjoyed it without hurry.

Tomorrow morning I expect my favorite coffee to be brewed for me and brought to my bedside. No fancy condiments or chocolates – I’m not expecting a pyramid view or to wake up in Paris.  No need for anyone to run to Starbucks. Just my own cup full of freshly brewed black Gevalia coffee.

Have you already enjoyed your morning elixir, coffee or otherwise? Have a wonderful weekend everyone.  -Tiny

Ps. If you liked this post you may also enjoy my first story about coffee. You’ll find it here.