First Light Over the Winter Bay

The morning started in the quiet blue hour, when the town was still asleep and the only sounds were distant gulls and the tide creeping across the sandbars. As the first light broke over the horizon, the bay, marsh, and inlet shifted through soft pastels, revealing blinds on stilts, winding creeks, and the long bridge stretching out toward the ocean. This collection of photos and drone views follows that slow transformation, capturing how a cold winter sunrise can turn an ordinary shoreline into something calm, wide open, and full of subtle color.

Looking back toward town, rows of homes, marinas, and bright rooftops line the edge of the water while the bay and inlet open out beneath a calm, pastel sunrise.

The marsh unfolds in every direction, golden grasses and winding creeks leading the eye toward the glow of sunrise and the distant skyline on the horizon.

A sweeping view of the wetlands shows winding creeks, reflective ponds, and distant neighborhoods, all resting under a clear, blue-tinged sky just after sunrise.

The bay curves gently around patches of marsh grass and old pilings, with still water mirroring the pale morning sky as the first light spills across the landscape.

An old marsh blind stands on weathered pilings at low tide, surrounded by rippled sand and quiet pools reflecting the pastel colors of dawn.