Solving A Silly Mystery

I run outside before sunrise to take photos of the sky so often. It's one of the highlights of the morning to see the sky fill with some color as the earth heads in the direction of light. So I went out Sunday morning and clicked a few photos. When I looked at them later in the day I saw this.

This is what the camera showed me, completely unedited. It always shows up dark like this, which is why I edit it to look more like what my eyes saw. When I was looking at this photo I noticed something that seemed to be coming down from the sky or up from the mountains, a skinny thing on the left there. I couldn't figure out what it could be. How did I not see that with my eyes when I was standing out there? Click on the above pic and take a look.

So I edited the photo, lightened it to look much more like what I saw. Mmm. That thing is still there. I see this view all the time, how could I not know what I was looking at? So I went outside in the afternoon to scan the sky and see if it was still visible. Why yes, yes it was. It's a very skinny little branch, the tallest one that sticks straight up from our miniature maple tree. It's the only branch that reaches that high above the fence. In all the years I've been photographing that view I never quite captured it like this.

I laughed and laughed and laughed. Really. I couldn't believe I had been bewildered by it, imagining all kinds of space alien transport system scenarios right here in Humboldt County. LOL. I laughed some more.

Here's a view of the sunrise, a bit closer, no aliens, and even a hint of iridescence.