My life on the Washington coast has been dominated by the daily visual experience of the sky and water. Every evening I turn toward the setting sun and pause in my activities to observe the last light of the day. For over a year, I lived in a community with an active sunset culture. People of all walks of life gathered on the street at the edge of the sea. Some simply parked their cars and sat quietly alone, while others walked up and down the street. I joined them as often as I could, sometimes hurrying to walk two blocks before the light faded. It felt like a kind of obligation to stay until the sun slipped below the horizon.
