California’s Golden Hour: A Time To Reflect

With every changing season comes an opportunity to reflect and renew. 

The seasons as depicted in California — unlike the rest of the country, here summer gently fades into winter, knowing fall for only a few short weeks. Though it lives for just a mere moment, and later in the year than most states, illusive autumn boasts a certain California golden hour…and an opportunity for self-reflection.

This is my first autumn since returning to California, the last two having been spent in New York City, where seasons are as distinct as the taste of mulled wine. In one clean swoop, the temperature drops, the winds swirl and the leaves turn brown before floating to the cold ground. On the west coast, the change is gradual, as if watching an afternoon turn to dusk. The day’s golden hour is California’s fall. Subtle, beautifully flaxen, gone before you’re ready to let it go.

Golden hour, my favorite time of day. As amber light cascades off of mountains and the sky deepens into dark blues and purple. It’s here that I reflect most, taking stock of the day, reminiscing the previous hours and contemplating those to come. California fall brings out the same mood. Autumn is a long, last deep breath before winter rolls in. What are you reflective of this season?

Gorgeous photos by Tina De Leon.

+What do you feel most contemplative about in the fall? 

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California’s Golden Hour: A Time To Reflect
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