Chasing the Sunset

Yesterday was OK, but with alot of sitting around doing nothing in the waiting rooms of the orthodontist and the optometrist, reading or dozing while my son had his appointments. He's ecstatic to be rid of the braces, and to be able to see the world more clearly.

Last evening, I needed to run up to the convenience store in our little town to fill Son's pickup with fuel (he can't drive there yet with just his school permit). I also remembered I needed to stop by at church and pick up Sunday School teaching materials for subbing next weekend. That led me to also remember to take along a couple sacks of pop cans to put in the can wagon in front of our Lutheran School, which is, of course, next to the church. The schoolkids collect cans for the refunds as an ongoing fundraiser. Church members and others leave their returnable pop and beer containers in the wagon, each can or bottle being worth a nickel or dime, which adds up to thousands of dollars of needed funding for the school each year.

Anyway, as I tip-toed through the mud to toss the sacks in the can wagon, I happened to look up and see this sight of the blackbirds on stark tree branches, outlined against the sky next to the steeple. And, guess what......my camera was with me! Hooray! The steeple cross is facing west toward the setting sun.

A little while later, after spending $73 on fuel (gr-r!) at the convenience store, I was headed south on the highway toward home. Glancing to the west, I saw the sun setting in flaming majesty......this photo in no way does justice to the scene. Hurriedly, I pulled off on the shoulder to snap the photo, hoping no one would see me and think.......she's on her way to Crazyville again!

As the old pickup tolerated my jerky version of the manual shifting into first, second, third......I tried to keep watching the sun's show, and steer safely.......and then turned west onto the next gravel road to attempt to catch a photo shot at the moment when the glowing orb of the sun was perfectly round.......like a "red, rubber ball".......and, no, Cliff Richard's song was not serendipitously playing on the radio at that moment. HOWEVER, during my chase of the rapidly evolving sunset scene, THIS song was playing on the pickup's crackly radio.........."Sunset Grill" by Don Henley! I'm not kidding.

I missed the shot I wanted, and the ones I did get were blurry. My goodness, the sun's descent seems to speed up in those last few moments of sunset! Isn't that just the way life is sometimes.......you see something you truly want, and poof!, its gone before you can get it in your grasp. And so, for a chance to catch a perfectly round setting sun on photo, I repine. "Repine" is the Dr. Dictionary word for today........I've decided to attempt to use each day's word in that day's blog post. We'll see if it works out or not.......and if I remember to do it or not.


Hey, there you go.......try to use a new word today......either in speaking or writing.