Took my dog to the same park for 3 years before I noticed the morning light hits the trail completely different in August vs December

I've been walking my Lab mix at Riverside Park in Portland for about 3 years now, same route every morning before work. Never paid much attention to the light until last week when I snapped a photo of her splashing through the creek and compared it to one from January. The difference was MASSIVE. In winter the sun barely clears the treeline and everything is gray and soft. But in late summer that light comes in hot and golden through the same spot. It changes the whole mood of the walk. My dog even acts different - she zooms through the bright spots and slows down in the shadows. Has anyone else noticed their dog gets more energetic during certain seasons on the same route?

2 comments

2 Comments

blair_martin10d ago

the_anthony mentioned the shadow lengths changing, and that's actually something I notice more than the light itself. The angle of the sun makes those shadows stretch way out in December compared to high summer when my dog's shadow barely exists under her. But I have to gently correct one thing - the shadow length difference is more about the sun's position in the sky than the month. August has that same low angle as December if you compare early morning to late afternoon. The real shift happens because the earth's tilt changes the sun's path so dramatically between summer and winter. It's all connected though, the light and the shadows and how your dog reacts to it.

the_anthony11d ago

The winter vs summer light difference is honestly wild once you notice it. I started tracking it too after seeing how my dog's shadow stretches out completely different lengths depending on the month.