Your Take Today: USA TODAY's top reader photo

Not every backyard looks like Christine Dorfer's.

"I try to make it out there everyday for a sunrise or sunset, but I am not always so lucky," she said.

But when she does, she gets to enjoy the "pure tranquility" of Lake Sammamish in Redmond, Wash.

"There's nothing more relaxing than watching the many colors of sunrise,sunsets, or ... the millions of different birds visiting the area, or the morning rowers gliding across the lake through the morning fog," Dorfer said.

"It's a place of peace for me."

Dorfer took this photo with a Nikon Digital SLR and standard 18-55mm lens. She said that the clouds looked like they were generating the storm that would hit the area later that night.

"The different shades of light reflecting off the lake were spectacular!" she said.

Find out more about Dorfer's photography on her website, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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