Life with Dylan

Category: sunset

  • Where did my summer go and how can I get it back?

    It seems like just yesterday I went back to work after having the month of July off and now it is Labor Day weekend. School is starting on Tuesday … how is that possible? How did I manage to miss the entire month of August?

    July was filled with adventures like our Zoo Road Trip (yes, I know I still have to tell you about that – soon, I promise) and then it was Dylan’s birthday, and we got Tiga, and then we hosted Dylan’s Animal Adventure Camp … oh, and someplace in there I guess the month of July whizzed by too.

    So yesterday I decided that I was not going to let another day of summer go by without me. It was time to watch the sunset with my own two eyes instead of through everyone’s pictures on twitter and Instagram.

    So Dylan and I set out to find a cliff overlooking the ocean where we could enjoy a little picnic dinner and watch the sunset. This was our beautiful view of Newport Harbor with Catalina Island in the background.

    After a long day of hot and humid weather, the gentle yet warm breeze felt nice.
    What I thought was a large storm cloud earlier in the day decided to spread out over the ocean, which gave way to another spectacular SoCal sunset.

    And so another day is done.
    At least this one didn’t slip by without me noticing the beauty in it.

    Good-bye summer. Hopefully we can spend more time together next year.

  • I never get tired of watching sunsets

    I still say the best cure for a bad day is watching the sunset. Watching that big ball of fire get smaller and smaller and finally disappearing below the horizon … perfection in my book.

  • Time to check sunsets off the bucket list

    Part of the fun to making a bucket list is getting to check things off the list. Although we have checked a few things off our family bucket list, the one I completed last week was a long time coming. A year to be exact. Ironically, I took the final sunset picture on my birthday.

    With the help of doing Sunset Sunday for a few months, which kept me on track, I was able to take a picture of the sunset every month. The goal was just one picture of the sunset each month, but I got hooked and often took one a week.

    Sunsets are so beautiful and after completing this family bucket list item I have learned that it is true – no two sunsets are the same.

    Birthday sunset on the bay

    One of my favorite sunsets was in September overlooking the Back Bay, also know as the Upper Newport Bay. The colors were phenomenal and I was truly thankful to have my iPhone that day.

    Another favorite was when the skies turned bright pink. I was walking the track at the local high school and looked up to see a sky filled with cotton candy clouds.

    Although beautiful sunsets are associated with summer and tropical islands, I will admit that winter sunsets aren’t too shabby.

    Have a fantastic week and don’t forget to take time to watch the sunsets.

    Oh, and when the golden hour ends … be patient and wait for the magic moment that occurs just as the day is ending and the night is beginning.

  • Sunset Sunday – The magic moment

    Sometimes it’s not the golden hour that makes a sunset so memorable, but the short magic moment when the sky appears to be glowing and everything else becomes a silhouette  That moment just before the sun fades away – the magic moment between day and night.

    Have a fantastic week and don’t forget to take time to watch the sunsets.

  • Sunset Sunday – Beautiful Beginnings

    I have always loved sunsets, but I think I appreciate them more when I see a sunset through the lens of my camera. Deciding to take a picture of the sunset every month for a year as part of our family bucket list has turned out to be a great learning experience as well as a fun project. I’ve learned to watch each stage of the sunset – appreciating the changes in light and color of each one – from the very beginning to the very end when the sun is completely below the horizon.

    The bright orange sky was my favorite part of a sunset for a long time, but now I’ve come to love the beginning of a sunset. That moment when the sun is just starting to set and the sky is a mix of blue and orange. That moment when you know it is going to be an amazing sunset – the beautiful beginning of what’s to come.

    Have a fantastic week and don’t forget to take time to watch the sunsets.

  • Sunset Sunday – Bittersweet Goodbyes

    My parents house has been on the market for about a year now and last week they accepted an offer. My childhood home will belong to someone else in a mere 60 days. The home where I grew up and where my son spent the first year of his life – the home where I planted a tree so many years ago – the home where I have watched so many beautiful sunsets.

    The skies always look great from my parents kitchen window, but as soon as I see even the tiniest hint of orange or red or pink, I run up the stairs to the balcony. This is where I like to watch the sunsets best. Here on the balcony is where I can see Catalina – not so long ago, those two big trees weren’t so big and the view was even better.

    I took this picture last week with my iPhone. The colors were so much more intense in real life, but I still love this picture. The sky was painted with warmth and Catalina was clear as could be. The house is too big for my parents now that all the kids have gone, and I understand why they chose to sell, but views like this make me wish they could keep the house. I don’t know if I will be at my parents house again for a sunset like this. It may have been my last from the balcony and that makes it a bittersweet goodbye for me.

    Have a fantastic week and don’t forget to take time to watch the sunsets.

  • Sunset Sunday – Fire in the sky above Catalina

    Something told me it was going to be a fabulous sunset, so I went to a local viewpoint and waited patiently with my camera in hand. This is what I saw.

    Have a fantastic week and don’t forget to take time to watch the sunsets.

  • Sunset Sunday – San Diego

    No words are needed for this spectacular sunset from Christmas Day 2012.

    Thank you Matt for sharing your beautiful sunset picture from San Diego, CA.

    Do you have a favorite sunset picture that you would like me to feature here? If so, send me your picture and the location it was taken. After all, what good is a beautiful sunset if you can’t share it with others?

    Have a fantastic week and don’t forget to take time to watch the sunsets.

    *Please only submit pictures you have personally taken and own the rights to.

  • Sunset Sunday – Island Style

    “All I want for Christmas is a real good tan. Take me to the islands put my feet in the sand.”
    I adore fall and winter in Southern California, but I can’t help longing to be on Maui to see more of these beautiful island sunsets.

    Have a fantastic week and don’t forget to take time to watch the sunsets.

    Do you have a favorite sunset picture that you would like me to feature here? If so, send me your picture and the location it was taken. After all, what good is a beautiful sunset if you can’t share it with others?

    *Please only submit pictures you have personally taken and own the rights to.

  • Sunset Sunday – Through the storm clouds


    Southern California has had a few days of rain this week, but that didn’t stop the sun from shining through the storm clouds. Don’t let the big dark rain clouds fool you when a storm is passing through because no matter what, the sun always finds a way to brighten up the end of your day.

    Have a fantastic week and don’t forget to take time to watch the sunsets.