The last weather report I read predicted a heavy snow storm. But instead of spending the morning shoveling snow, I mosey around Downtown Juneau hunting for places where the sunshine is burning through heavy fog. It’s a surprising little gift from nature before the snow storm begins a big dump on the state’s capital.

Nature is imposing a price for sharing beauty. Sub-freezing temperatures cover the streets and sidewalks with slick ice. But my boot cleats make it safe to drop down to the Alaska State Museum where sunshine, weakened by thinning fog, is reflected in the in the museum windows. In a few minutes we reach the Egan Expressway, which borders Gastineau Channel. Just this side of the channel, I spot a raven snacking on something tasty. With its back to me, the raven stops eating. It looks down channel where sunlight from the rising sun powers through the clouds.

The sun finally breaks through the clouds as we head back up the hill to home. It casts big, dark shadows onto the snow-covered sidewalk while making the colorful houses on Main Street sparkle.