Wow! It was really dark and kinda spooky when Liesl and I took our walk early this morning. It was really foggy, and I could not see very far in front of me. We walk for an half an hour every morning, so we both get some exercise. We do not walk super briskly as I read recently that a walk is not only exercise, but mental stimulation for a dog as well. They have to smell the happenings in the neighborhood and check the p-mail. So I do build time into the schedule for Liesl to check the goings on. But now that the time change isn't until November 6th, it is really dark. The fog added a layer of creepiness to the whole thing. LOL

The walk is good mental stimulation for me as well. I think during that time, or say my prayers in the quiet of the early morning. I look for interesting flowers blooming when it is light. There are a couple of orange mushrooms on my walk that are an odd, interesting shape that are about a foot and half across. Most mornings, I can smell the salt air from Monterey Bay, and taste it on my lips. It is a special time of day. It seems almost magical, because the day stretches ahead, full of so many possibilities.

As the sun finally starts to rise, we have what John Steinbeck described as "pearl time." It is the small window of time, where everything is sort of suspended for a moment before the clatter begins. The light is almost irradescent as it starts to settle on the town. It hangs there for a short time, and it is almost like a power switch is thrown and the hustle and bustle of our beautiful town by the bay begins...