Fog
It’s been one of those lovely Vancouver winter days where the whole morning harbour is shrouded in fog.
I know it’s advection fog (a left-over term from a geography course) and I love to watch it move in and settle on the water. There’s very little to be seen so I close my eyes and listen. Fog horns are sounding, the gulls are shrieking, metal rigs are clanking against boat masts. Somewhere in the harbour a sea plane’s engine starts to rumble and my breath swirls the white haze around me.
Then, as the sun begins to rise and warm I can see the shore birds backlit by the weak sun.
A few more minutes and more of the harbour comes into view.
But the sun is determined and soon the magic begins to evaporate.
Mornings like today I think on my favorite little poem, a Carl Sandburg poem; the first one my children learned to recite.
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbour and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
ebbandflo (@pomomama)
where i live, we see fog from above. it builds in the inlet, rising and falling softly like a breath then dissipates. sometimes there is no ground visible, just a few tall buildings out in New Westminster peeking above the cloud. looks v surreal.
Veronica
Amanda, that’s so poetic…I love it. See, high rises have their places in the world…as a structure in beautiful fog vistas. 🙂
Evalina
It reminds me of good days while in San Francisco… I love morning fog, its like a magic…
Veronica
I love San Francisco Evalina! Do you live there, or close by? You lucky girl!
Esther Bradley-DeTally
I love the word advection, and I’m off to the dictionary to find its meaning; great photos; Vancouver is lovely; hugs for the day
Veronica
Yay Esther! Love the new words. I’m still saying murmuration to myself. 🙂 Hugs for you too. 🙂 ((((Esther))))
Julia Tomiak
I also love the word “advection”- I feel a blog post coming on… Your pictures are lovely and your words poetry- thanks for giving me an idea to use with my kids.
Veronica
Yay Julia! When they were little I used to have the children recite poetry to me all the time. Lol, one day, my then 14 and 16 yr old taught my then 4 yr old some…umm…colourful lyrics to some subculture song. Yeah, that was fun! 🙂
dianecayton
We live in the mountains and I love seeing the mountaintops bathed in fog.
Veronica
Hello Diane! I love that you live in the mountains. Do you get that smokey fog we get in the Pacific? You know, like steam coming from the trees? I love that. Thank you for leaving me your addy, now I can come
stalkvisit you. 🙂Green Speck
Lovely pictures !!!
Veronica
Thank you Green. I love atmospheric photos and am so glad you do too because you come tell me lovely things. 🙂
Sarav
Hi Veronica–I love fog and your photos are fantastic!! Plus, that poem is one of my favorites as well as another by Rosalie Moore, titled “Catalog” and has the line “cats sleep fat and walk thin.”
Veronica
Hi Sara, do you like Carl Sadburg too? How wonderful! 🙂 I’m off to read Catalog. Sleep fat and walk thin…I’m sure I’ll love it because we’re such kindred spirits.
Rosewalk Cottage
Lovely photos and that poem is one of my favorites.
~Clara
anne
I would love to be in Vancouver right now !
Veronica
It’s raining Anne! Hopefully the fog will come back soon. 🙂
joypureandsimple
I LOVE the photographs in this post Veronica!
Especially the first one.
I have been catching up!
xx
Veronica
Thank you so much Joanne. I suppose you’ve moved now…? I’m heading over to have a look and catch up with you. 🙂