Photogarphy 101 lesson learned

ALWAYS MAKE SURE THE CAMERA BATTERY IS CHARGED!!

On my way to work Thursday I was admiring the light fog (not good for pictures just for watching) and the vivid colors of the sunrise in my rear view mirror. Suddenly, as I topped a hill, the most beatiful scene was in front of me. The sunrise made the winter grass glow in a sort of orange pink mixture as a gracefully pure layer of fog almost hid a small grove of winter trees. I just had to stop! I found the perfect (safe and out of traffic) spot to pull over, reached for my camera hoping to record the event before the lighting changed... and then it happend. The dead battery light was flashing at me and there was nothing I could do! Dissapointment filled me, I couldn't believe what I had done... and... the spare battery was at home. But, as I sat there I realized that the image was mine to savor for the moment and then the sunlight changed, the grass no longer glowed and the fog turned gray. I put my Jeep in drive, turned on my signal, pulled back into the line of cars heading into Stillwater and went to work with the image saved in my mind. This morning I brought my camera with a charged battery and a backup, but no fog. So sad... but... they are forecasting 2-6 inches of snow on Saturday, so maybe a light graceful snow will blanket the area and I can snap a few. We will see. Until then, here is an Oklahoma cloud over the Cimaron River (unedited... straight from the camera) I snapped on the way home last week. Always be ready for the unexpected, lesson learned this week.