Tag Archives: early morning walks

Misty Meadows

Thunder showers ran by in the late afternoon dropping a half inch of rain. The temperature dropped. A silver haze hung in the air low to the ground making misty meadows as sunset approached.

Mist usually shows up in the morning. It hangs heavy over the meadows and obscures the hills. It shimmers in white as the sun rises and dissipates when the sun’s rays light up the meadows.

morning misty meadows
The sun is still behind the hills barely visible shining through the gaps between the trunks of the trees on the hilltop. In the meadow white mist blankets the ground coating the grass with moisture, hiding tree trunks for the first five feet. The air is cool, still and wet.

This mist is predictable. First there is a lot of moisture on the meadows and in the air over them. Second the air temperature drops. Water vapor in the air becomes minute water droplets that reflect the light making haze over the meadows.

Going out walking through the misty meadows as the sun rises is peaceful and quiet. The night insects go silent. The birds start to call.

Morning mists
Morning mists didn’t always form layers. This one went up into the trees. As the sun rose, the mist formed white curtains hanging between the trees on the hills.

Increasing light whitens the mist. Spider webs and plants are hung with water droplets shining brightly.

When the mist is heavy, trees and other objects take shape slowly as I approach. Standing close to the trees there is the sound of light rain as the drops fall from the leaves and branches. Standing too close nets a shower.

Looking back a dark path marks my passage. On both sides the dew still shines on the plants. The dew from my path now soaks my pants legs.

Rubber boots help keep the feet dry longer unless the plants are taller than the boots. The dampness seeps down my pants legs into my socks and leaves my feet cold and wet by the end of a walk.

old stumps in misty meadows
When the meadow was cleared, the tree stumps were shoved into a pile. Over the decades the bottom stumps slowly decayed and the others settled. Out walking through the mist, the stump pile loomed suddenly in a clear pocket yet in sharp relief from the moisture on the wood.

Cold, wet feet are the signal to go back to the house. The way back is slow as the sun is up enough now to make the mist bright white even as it fades away.

Evening misty meadows seem blurry hidden below the hint of mist over them. The light is too dim for photographs and fades away as the clouds overhead turn salmon pink over meadows turning purple then black for the night.

Two of these pictures are from “My Ozark Home.” Check it out.