The Tale of the Mare

August 10, 2002

Tonight I looked into the evening sky and decided that it was time to head on out to the park for the sun was soon to set.

I took my leave of my neighbors and walked across the street to an empty house. I grabbed the camera, keys to the Harley, my helmet and sunglasses and drove off into the setting sun.

You never know about sunsets, you may think the conditions are just right for eye candy and just as the sun sinks to the horizon it disappears behind a bank of cloud that was heretofore unseen.

Tonight was one of those nights, but as often is the case, the true beauty and grandure of the moment is captured after the sun has set.

I look for the high thin clouds of ice crystals that play drama across the heavens. When the cloud is arranged in long whisps they are called Mare's Tails.

I've written about them before, and went tonight to find the entry from 1999. Although tonight's image is a bit different from the one in the story, the horses were riding across the heavens again.