“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” Rabindranath Tagore
Looking eastward at the sunset over Lake Walcott, Aug. 17, 2011. -- Photo by Pat Bean
Travels With Maggie
There’s a scene in the first released episode of “Star Wars” in which Luke Skywalker is standing outside at the end of the day, staring at the sky.
You immediately know he’s not on Planet Earth because the sky is lit by two moons. That scene has long stayed with me. It had a haunting quality about it that imprinted on my catch-all brain.
The scene flashed in my mind again the first time I visited Lake Walcott in Southern Idaho a few years ago. As always, Maggie and I were taking our walk at the end of the day.
We were standing on a point overlooking the lake, her sniffing at a bush, and me staring up at a princess pink sunset with a half-moon framed between glowing clouds. It was an awesome, but not unfamiliar sight – until I realized I was looking east.
Quickly turning around, I saw a second sunset, a Halloween orange one peeking from behind cottonwood and Russian olive trees. This was the real sunset. The eastern one was a trick of the lake.
The same sunset view looking west, Aug. 17, 2011. If you look carefully you can see Gypsy Lee beneath the trees, -- Photo by Pat Bean
The calm water, acting like a mirror, had captured the sunset and then reflected the hues, now muted, up into the clouds.
Depending on the weather, the clouds and what’s hanging around in the air, the sunsets here at Lake Walcott range from a”Brahms Lullaby” to the clash of cymbals in Beethoven’s “1812 Overture.” While the eastern display is barely visible on quieter nights, it can outshine its western source on the louder nights.
I’ve seen both versions many times now since this is my second year as a summer volunteer campground host here at Lake Walcott. But they can still can take my breath away.
And they did that just two nights ago. I was standing at my favorite spot overlooking the lake when the show began. It lasted for a good 10 minutes, going from pastel to vibrant hues than fading into darkness.
I wish you had been here to see it with me.
Pat Bean's blog 
You hit the jackpot! I love sunsets and to get 2 in one day is beyond wonderful.
As RV travelers, we are deprived of our artwork. We do not have the wall space for the pieces we’ve collected. Some pieces we find a home for–loans that turn out to be permanent. Some pieces donated to the library for a fundraiser auction.
I’ve learned the Universe does not forget the footloose. She sends us Sunrises, Sunsets, and sprawling panoramas.
And the twin vistas that was the subject of today’s blog.
There is another twin vista that comes along every month. The night the moon is full, it rises simultaneously on the horizon opposite the sunset. Every few years, you get a double feature.
We’ve been having some gorgeous sunsets here this past week too. Makes you glad to live on planet Earth.
I love your sunset descriptions: “princes pink,” “Brahms Lullabye,” and “the clash of cymbals in Beethoven’s ‘1812 Overture’.” Those phrases are so evocative! I so enjoy seeing the world through your eyes. Thanks for the view!
This year we have seen such beautiful skies–can’t beat those simple pleasures. Nice capture.
Pat, I’m just back from a vacation on Siesta Key on the gulf coast of Florida and planned my day around being on the beach for the spectacular sunsets. For the first time I think I saw the green flash folks talk about.
Here in the midwest, sunsets are lovely things because they stretch forever and we frequently have the kind of cloud cover that adds to the beauty. My favorite time of day is the gloaming and this year I am pleased to see the fireflies back in greater numbers! Truly a magical time…
How wonderful. I’ve looked for the green flash many times but have never quite caught it. I remember chasing fire flies when I was a young kid. I’ve never seen the numbers from back then ever again. And only once are twice have I seen fireflies as an adult. Thanks for commenting.