Daily Magic

Sunsets are the exclamation marks that end the day. And they are especially memorable when we are on vacation and actually have time to sit and enjoy the spectacle of the sun sinking into something other than a sea of rush-hour traffic.

We love sunsets because we love their bold drama, almost kitschy with all those oranges and reds. The angle of light throws everything - from palm trees to elephants - into silhouette. Photographers know the best sunsets have some clouds onstage to give those rays a wispy canvas on which to paint.

Then there's the grand finale, the visual equivalent of a musical crescendo, when the yolk melts into the ocean or cracks against a mountain ridge. And finally comes silence. Soft purples and a big sigh flood the landscape, and I often find myself wanting to applaud.

Those three paragraphs, a clipping from an article in the travel section, have been tacked to my bulletin board since some time in high school. I am a sucker for sunsets and this writer captured the sensation of watching one of these daily magical events.