Looking Up

For the better part of this year I have been growing my obsession with the sun. Well, to be fair, not just the sun, but the whole sky. Sunrise, sunset, the formation and density of clouds, the position and phases of the moon and every single atmospheric condition that contributes to these phenomenae. I am eager for summer in a way I haven’t known before.

Tomorrow I will rise in darkness and leave the house as nautical twilight begins. With any luck I will be on a quiet stretch as the sun lifts up over the horizon. I’m going somewhere I’ve never been and I am giddy with anticipation.

I just finished my long week at work. I look forward to my interval of three days off every six weeks or so but I dread the week that follows. It’s not the work itself that is always the hardest. Sometimes it is just the combination of commuting, a less-than-pleasant office environment and having to be “on” for six straight days that gets my muscles tight and teeth clenched. I love people but I really crave solitude.

My medication “cocktail” for RA seems to be keeping my body (mostly) in check. I will have tapered completely off of a steroid next week that has been acting as a bridge for the other two meds. It tends to make me anxious and impatient so I’m happy to be letting it go. I know it helps but I’m hopeful I can maintain (mostly) pain-free movement without it. This morning I woke up with a stiff knee and some pain developing in the palms of my hands. I’ll try not to over-do today. That was how my last flare began and it progressed quickly. Fingers crossed it is an anomoly of sorts.

I’ll post a trip report tomorrow night after my day of adventure. For now, here are a few of my favorite shots from last summer. May the sun goddesses watch over our coming days.