Sunrise Rainbow - New Caledonia

I think Heavenly Father loves mornings!  I am not a morning person, but it seems that when I make the effort to be up early, I am often richly rewarded to see the beauty of this world revealed to me in lovely shades and colors of light as dawn signals another glorious day of possibilities.  Sometimes day breaks with cotton candy hues of pastel pinks and corals, and sometimes regal mauves and magentas.   Sometimes the sky is on fire reflecting a blaze of color  and sometimes it bathes the earth in a warm soft glow.  And once in a while, sunrise displays every color of the rainbow!

We are in New Caledonia this week.  I woke up this morning to the brilliant rainbow above.  I grabbed my camera, walked out on the balcony of our hotel room, and shot this scene.  As I was enjoying the view, the sun broke through, lighting up the water, and speck of land at the end of the rainbow.  I had my telephoto lens on, so I zoomed in as far as I could and this is the result:

  It's going to be a GREAT day!

Pretty Birdy

Mystery Bird

Well.......at least a mystery to me.  I took this photo in New Zealand and he/she certainly looks like some variety of parrot, but since I know less than nothing about birds, I really have no idea.  (Where are you Robin when I need you!)  He's sure pretty, though, and he posed nicely for my camera.