Walking. In Twilight.

Posted on by Live & Learn

75 minutes before sunrise, I start out in darkness, and slide into Twilight.

90 consecutive days, same loop, 5 miles, Cove Island Park and back.

I had to Google it, because I didn’t know what it was called, the in-between time between night and sunrise.

Twilight: “the soft glowing light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon, caused by the refraction and scattering of the sun’s rays from the atmosphere.”

I have no clue what all that means —  and no interest in learning more.

I’m deep into Kate Zambreno’s new book: Drifts: A Novel. My kind of book. She describes it as “Prose, little things, I stammer out.” (I wish I could stammer, spit and cough out anything close to this.)

Her words: “A shock of color out of nowhere.” And that’s exactly what it was. Look at it. The photo above, taken @ 5:24 a.m. 24 minutes before sunrise. 24 minutes before sunrise. Where does this light, this ‘shock of color’ come from?

In a different time, a different scene, she goes on to talk about “the light of Vermeer’s paintings. Their silence and mystery…So often the painting seems to be of the same room, at the same picture window… whether the sun floods in directly or diffusely.”

And so here we are. 90 consecutive days on this same walk. The same room, the same picture window, a new Vermeer each morning.

I tuck my camera into my bag, and head home. I twist in my earbuds and listen to Audible pumping in the narration.  She closes out her book on an Albrecht Durer quote, back in the 1500’s (before the internet, before digital cameras):

“What beauty is, I know not, though it adheres to many things.”

And so it does Albrecht, so it does.

Notes:

  • Photo: 5:20 a.m. The Cove, Stamford, CT. July 30, 2020.
  • Inspired by: “The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” ~ Eden Phillpotts, from “A Shadow Passes”
  • Book Review of Kate Zambreno’s book “Drifts: A Novel”: “Locked in a Creative Struggle, With Rilke as Her Guide” by Catherine Lacey, NY Times.

51 thoughts on “Walking. In Twilight.”

  1. Such a Beautiful capture DK! And this by far, is my favourite time of day in nature, because the 2 hours before sunrise is the most potent time to connect to the higher realms. Known as the Amrit Vela, or the period when the veil is the thinnest to the Divine. Oh ….but there is one catch, you have to sit quietly to feel it’s energy ha 🙏🏻

  2. Great shot! I was telling my husband, David, yesterday about your camara and how it motivated me to start my search for a new one. It got him so excited he pulled out our old camera and started looking ar photos on the card. Where all did you go for reviews? Have a great day.

  3. it’s magic, that’s all you need to know, and you are lucky enough to be witnessing it each day. a spiritual experience if there ever was one. my favorite time of day. the in between. hope and possibility are on the table.

  4. And how lucky are we to have Twilight twice in one day? Each one distinct from the other. It’s at times like these that I stop and breathe and realise life is beautiful.

  7. It’s magical. Lights and colors are at their most crisp at am and pm twilight. Even air is at its best quality, lighter to breathe.
    So miss my morning walks. Your new daybreak photography obsession is a saving grace.

  11. The in-between time …
    Twilight

    In-between time
    between notes, between the
    notes
    between houses, between homes
    between this and

    that

    it

    and she

    and they

    and ands…

    between the dots.

    __
    don’t connect them. Let them be.
    Be-tween.
    Gertrude and Thelonious

  12. I am moving this weekend. Upheaval, UP ending
    again. An opportunity
    All that INVENTORY.

    sigh.

    Thanks for reminding me…to read, listen, stop, and respond.

  13. Fascinating how such a ‘shock of colour’ can calm a troubled heart and bring peace to a restless morning.

    And… I did not know twilight also described the time between night’s lifting into sunrise. I always thought it was the time between end of day and dark settling in!

    See! I learned something new. Thanks! 🙂

  14. Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
    IT’s beyond words expressing its beauty … “Twilight: “the soft glowing light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon, caused by the refraction and scattering of the sun’s rays from the atmosphere … “What beauty is, I know not, though it adheres to many things.” … And so it does Albrecht, so it does!

  16. You definitely have an aptitude for photographs. Your own signature. Beautiful. Saw another on Val’s site. Just back on wp after a months-long absence during our zany moving days. We are here. Now. Happy to be. All hail, David. Hope you and yours are well! <3

  18. This was a great post. Thank you for sharing your moments as you walk through this world. Twilight is my favorite. I am always certain that if it’s caught just right we witness a thinning in the veil between places concrete and divine.
    Beautiful, friend.

  20. Beautifully written post. Your words are seamless and they move in a fluid way. It is enjoyable to read. You create a stunning picture, but the thing I like most is your description of the in-between time. So many things feel that way, but the idea that this is twilight creates a discernible space with a title. The soft light between the fixed and the absent. Your writing style is impressive and easy in way like gin is smooth. Keeping writing!

    1. You made my day! (Or perhaps my week? Month? Year?) I so appreciate you taking the time to share your kind thoughts. You have introduced a blast of light in a long day. Thank you.

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