For the second time in eight days I witnessed, from a trail in the foothills of the front range of the San Gabriels, the chaparral turn ochre then deep amber as the sun inevitably sunk into the ocean beyond the San Rafael and Verdugo hills. The brown crust that hangs over the Los Angeles basin during the daytime faded into the warm magic hour light while simultaneously, in the east, the moon, nearly full, rose over Mt Wilson. I stared directly into the vanishing ball of fire and it vibrated, or danced, though I could have imagined it because I don’t see it in the video. You had to be there, I suppose.
Tip for watching: the money shot, the sunset, plays for about two minutes. Relax, take off your shoes, kick back and enjoy. If it starts to feel long, put on some music, I played “Woman” by the John Carter/Bobby Bradford quartet while viewing the footage, and the effect was kind of cool, but ultimately i suggest taking a few deep breaths and soaking in the live soundtrack; the rumbling suburbs, a truck screaming in low gear as it navigates the windy, hilly foothill roads on its way home after work, a neighborhood dog and a rooster barking and crowing dutifully to awaken the night creatures or signal the passage of prowling joggers, and whatever else your imagination conjures.
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