The Bight

On one of my first visits to Northport, I visited the Grand Traverse Lighthouse.  I passed a house on the way that had a sign in its yard: House at the Bight.  I'd not heard the word "bight" before, so I looked it up.  I found that a bight is a bend in a coast forming an open bay. 

Since I pass the bight most every day as I drive into the village, I've gotten to know its many moods.  On some days, the sky at the bight is filled with beautiful clouds.  Because it's so protected, the bight can be a haven for small sailboats and kayaks.  During high summer, I've seen power boats anchored at the bight so families can swim in the shallow waters there.  It's Northport's version of "Fudgie Beach."

On other days, the bight isn't so inviting, as on this September day.  But the cloud and water patterns still make it an interesting place.

My favorite time to visit the bight is at sunrise.  It's not too far from my home and it's such a peaceful place in the morning.  I've experienced sunrises in three different ways.  The most vibrant color typically comes either before the sunrise, at sunrise, or during the afterglow.  On this day, the color was best before the sunrise.  This image was taken about a half hour before sunrise.  The pinks were so bright, they cast a purple tint to the water.

But as sunrise approached, the vibrant pink was only evident in a few high clouds and hints of orange became visible above the land.

The sun slowly breached the land, and the orangey glow spread entirely across the point.  Another glorious sunrise at the Bight.