Stars, Sea and Sky

Condado, San Juan, PR. Last night was dark and quiet, save for a small group out late (or early) on the beach.  The pulse of the ocean is always present in the background.

I woke at 3 am.  I could see gray cloud puffs hanging in the sky just offshore, and opened the window to look out.  The sky was pitch black, the ocean surface leaden.  Against this dark backdrop, white foam from the surf pushed up onto the sand and melted back into the sea.  The band of clouds, faintly lit by light from the city drifted toward the west.

Points of starlight dot the sky.  To the left, the Big Dipper rotated up to the left, the lower two stars pointing to Polaris, considerably lower down toward the horizon than I am used to. To the east are the Summer Triangle stars - Deneb, Vega and Altair.

The scene had incredible balance.  At the top, the stillness of the stars.  Midway, the dimly lit clouds floating slowly past, bringing a sense of building energy.  Anchoring the scene with the most light and the most energy was the constant pulse of waves rolling in and foaming across the beach, the ocean more settled in the early morning, but still deeply powerful.

I watched for a while, then went back to sleep.