I encountered this great egret on a calm early morning at the edge of Sand Key's intercoastal waterway, at Indian Rocks Beach, Florida. I was alone on the shore. He was alone in the water. It was a time for contemplation and reflection on my part, and it seemed that the bird was doing the same. He stood there calmly for nearly an hour, watching me as I watched him. It was as if he was reflecting on the stillness of my contemplation, while I contemplated his reflection in the water made so blue by the cloudless morning sky. It was a peaceful morning that gave rise to little else for either of us to do, but to observe one another, contemplate life, and reflect on what we saw that morning. [Edition of 250]