Winter light

There’s some nice light to be had this time of year. The winter sun is still traveling quite low in the sky, and under the right conditions, the low angled light can be quite beautiful. On a late afternoon walk at the local golf course with Oliver, although the dark clouds above were ominous and there were large swathes of cold snow falling to the east of us, there was a thin ribbon of clear sky on the western horizon which promised – if we were patient – one last glimpse of the sun at the end of the day.

The warmish temperatures of the past few days were being abruptly replaced by the coldest snap of the year so far, and as the breeze started to pick up, I almost felt guilty about asking Oliver to hang out with me for a few minutes to see if the light would change. Honestly though, I think he would stay outside all day if he was allowed, and when a particularly chilly gust blew across the fairway and cut right through us, I watched as Oliver put his nose in the air and followed the smells being carried on the wind from left to right, and I realized at that moment there was nowhere else he’d rather be.

Right on cue, as the sun dipped down into that thin sliver of sky between the clouds and the horizon, the good light was delivered as promised. It lasted no more than about 45 seconds, but while it illuminated the landscape, boy was it gorgeous. It raked across the land with an intense and almost unreal brightness, and as you can see, it certainly put the “golden” in our favorite baby golden retriever. Though fleeting, the winter light at the end of this particular day was momentarily special, and I’m glad my friend Oliver was there to share it with me.