photographed about sunsets, but little about sunrises. I suppose it

is because there are more people up for the former, but sunrises

are my inspiration. I’ll try to contrast the two and you’ll see

sunrises and sunsets, I have learned that the sun isn’t picky. It

rises and sets everywhere, deserts, mountains, at sea, even in your

it naturally; some don’t, but can learn, and some never get it. I

fall in the middle category. Most of us

to be quiet, and to be still. Neither “quiet” nor “still” will ever

be used to describe me, so I have had to

sunrise is easy. That time of day is all about quiet and still. The

day is not yet in motion, and you are alone, or at least not in a

crowd. The sunrise says, “You’ve got the whole day ahead, do well,”

and you believe you will. A sunrise is peace and

but is moving toward it. The day’s commotions, struggles and

frustrations are winding down. It is a crescendo of color, a cymbal

crash to end the day. Its promise is, “You can rest now, there’s

always tomorrow.” It is a free mini-vacation with one destination:

waiting. For the sunrise, waiting comes first. It is the eager

anticipation that light will wash away the fears of the night. It

may seem contrary, but the waiting for a sunset is after, not

before. If you leave when the sun just disappears, you might miss a

rare offering. Many never see the green flash because they haven’t

thousands gather nightly to be entertained by performers, artists,

food and, oh yeah, to watch the sun set into the Gulf of Mexico. I

don’t think a dozen practice the art of

close to the sunset as possible, applying the art. There came a

group laughing, joking and carrying on. There were lots of oohs,

awws, and “Would you look at thats,” and when the sun dipped below

the horizon, they were gone. “Rookies,” the Admiral

Starchaser, we’ve seen

some amazing risings and settings. After a long, dark night at sea

with only the stars to keep you company, waiting takes on new

meaning. You wait for the light to drive away the monsters your

imagination created in the dark, and when it comes, you let out a

breath you didn’t know you were holding.

"mso-spacerun: yes"> At sunset, you wait for the stars to

Arctic Circle after it has been gone for months, and seen it set to

begin the dark time. I’ve seen it rise and set on the equator and

points between, but there is one I will never forget and I go there

Park, I made a hard hike to the south rim of the Chisos Basin. I

camped on an outcrop a thousand feet above the desert floor where I

went to sleep watching the sunset, rolled over and woke with the

learn that it doesn’t matter where you watch. What matters is who

you are and the company you keep. That’s the art, and that makes