Dawn of Winter at Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe Placer County, California ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ See this same location in a penny postcard from the late 1800's! www.usgwarchives.org/ca/placer/postcards/lktwin.jpg Is that the same tree on the right? It is amazing that I shot this scene before discovering the postcard image. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A thin layer of fog hovers over the surface of Lake Tahoe on this very crisp morning just a few days prior to the winter solstice. The dawn is a fitting symbol of the coming winter though the frigid temperature and blanket of fresh snow make me feel like autumn has long since passed. On the distant shore are twinkling lights from towering hotels and casinos in Stateline, Nevada. The white lights on the mountain are the workings of Heavenly Valley Ski Resort. The celestial objects also display their grandeur. The crescent moon (distorted by long exposure) is rising above the horizon at dawn. The planet Jupiter is the second brightest object in the sky, just above and to the left of the moon. The two stars above Jupiter are in the constellation Scorpius. Mars is barely visible just above the horizon, below and to the left of Jupiter. Mercury is also rising but is just below the horizon. There is so much to see and feel, yet my mind compacts it all into a singular thought; the glorious dawn of a new day. _____________________________________ © 2006 GDA Photography, All Rights Reserved You do NOT have the right to copy, print, download, display, alter, blog, stream or otherwise use this photo or caption in any manner without the express written consent of the copyright holder. To purchase or request permission to use this photo, click here and then click the “Send FlickrMail” link to send an email message to the copyright holder. You will need a Flickr account to do this.