volleyball, anyone?

January 7, 2023. Sunset 5:00 PM. Hermosa Beach, CA.

"I snapped it between 2 sets of volleyball nets that were actively occupied, If you look closely upi can see a volleyball in the sand". -- Elisabeth Beaird and Richard Marriott This looks so peaceful compared to the storming north!

A dark and stormy night...

January 4, 2023. Sunset 5:04 PM. San Francisco, CA.

... as the atmospheric river continues to pass overhead. Very wet!

Stroke of Midnight New Year’s Improv

January 1, 2023. Midnight- I have always loved listening to the year roll over. Before cell phones, the pops and bangs and car horns and yelling would start trickling in several minutes before midnight—building to the maximum noise making at midnight. Then, after a minute or so of lots of yelling and some fireworks added to the mix, the loud sounds would thin out and the night would return to whatever state of steady ambience it normally lived in.

Since cell phones, this whole progression happens more “precisely” than in the days when each of us personalized our time keeping devices. Some of us ran a few minutes fast in order to be “on time” for appointments; others synchronized to some standard; still others didn’t keep time accurately at all but wore for watches for other reasons. This looseness of how each of us considered time- affected the sound of “midnight” on New Year’s Eve so that it was a rather drawn out, raggedy affair—

Now it seems that the whole noisy progression is more compressed. The first sounds start later and everything dies down more quickly. It has more of an ensemble feel to it – more predictable, a little less wild.

It’s still an amazing way to travel into the new year – listening in the darkness and celebrating with unknown and unknowable people playing this special once a year piece of music together.

Last sunrise and sunset of 2022

December 31, 2022. San Francisco, CA.
With much gratitude and wishes for a better New Year to everyone
Sunrise 7:25 AM.

Sunset 5:00 PM.

Solstice at the Equator General Info at the source!

December 23, 2022. Quito, Ecuador

“12 hours daylight EVERY DAY"

"Accurate sundial!"

"Straddling hemispheres”
- Joe P

Sunset in the sky on the way to the Equator

December 22, 2022. Sunset 8:37 PM. Above Panama City.

“Came to Ecuador yesterday…check the sunset from the flight”.
-Joe P

Celebrating the light of the season!

December 21, 2022. Sunset 4:54 PM. San Francisco, CA. It doesn't look that much different around here than many, many nights over the past 2 years- However...
We have just moved through the shortest day of the year and into the 4th night of Hanukkah!
Wishing everyone an abundance of light and blessings of the season.

lulu and the sunset 12-21-22

December 21, 2022. Sunset 4:53 PM. Berkeley, CA. “Lulu and I have been thinking of you today and decided to make another 'event' at exactly 4:53pm...blues and grays. She was really excited to do it again”.
-Wendy Reid

Sunstones, Sunsets and the Solstice

December 21, 2022—Sunset 4:53 PM

Heads-up-
If you are in the area this evening, the Lawrence Hall of Science will be hosting a public sunset observation-
Happy Solstice!!

Heading home

December 20, 2022. Sunset 4:52 PM. San Francisco, CA.

Looking out the window a few minutes after coming inside from ringing the bell tonight-- So much light and color- and just a glimpse of the man coming home from the streetcar who has been passing by around this time each evening.
It was an irresistible moment.
Happy almost Solstice!

Joy Blip

December 15, 2022. Sunset 4:51 PM. San Francisco, CA.

Tomorrow we inch another minute forward at this end of the day. Actually it's only a few seconds. However, the rounding off to the nearest minute boosts the imperceptible extension of the light into a little blip of joy.

sunrise with Joe's sister

December 14, 2022. Sunrise 7:34 AM. Munhall, PA.

Fiery sunrise in Munhall today. …c/o my sister Cindy Kacin
- Joe P
Thank you Joe and Cindy… again!

turning the corner

December 11, 2022. Sunset 4:50 PM. San Francisco, CA.

The end of a rainy day just before sunset.

We have finally reached the end of the 10-day run of earliest sunsets of the year! Tomorrow will tip the end of the day into the next minute of light! And we will very slowly extend the later edge of the day. Meanwhile the sunrise also continues to march forward well into January.

A positive thought ...

December 1, 2022. Sunset 4:50 PM. San Francisco, CA.
Today is the earliest sunset we will experience this year. Well before the Winter Solstice!

And the sun will set at this same (earliest) time for the next 10 days before opening back up and letting more light onto the world-- (again well before the shortest day of the Solstice)

Though, in spite of the sunset incrementally advancing later into the evening, the Winter Solstice will still end of being the shortest day - as the sunrise will continue to rise later and later each day (well into January).

This all has to do with the rate of change for the sun crossing at each end of the day-- You can track your own approach and departure from the Solstice here. Just fill in your location and track the days- here

Surprised?! I was-- When I first plotted the days and rates of change for the sunrise and sunset, I made this little drawing and it delights me every year.

I hope you find a moment of relief and happiness just by knowing this is happening.

Home Stretch

November 26, 2022. Sunset 4:49 PM. Pacheco Pass, CA.

Coming down from the Pacheco Pass into Gilroy. Apparently this is a dangerous piece of road with a nasty history .
We made it and are home now - 3500 miles RT.

Getting our Kicks next to Route 66

November 25, 2022. Sunset 4:34 PM. Ludlow, CA.

Taking our best guess as to time and place along this endless stretch of HWY 40. The old route 66 is just over the hill on the right, running parallel for miles.

Just made it to Kingman in time!

November 24, 2022. Sunset 5:25 pm. Kingman, AZ. Just arrived at the hotel in time for the sunset. We are very grateful to the many people who made this journey possible and for our many blessings-
Much love and Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Shadow Petroglyphs

November 23, 2022.

Making our way home by way of the Petrified National Forest in Arizona- What a beautiful magical world!

Norman walking through the Blue Mesa.

A while later, walking behind Norman as we rounded a bend on our walk through the Petrified Forest, I noticed his shadow cast on a rock across the way.

After recently seeing petroglyphs earlier enroute, this was irresistible.

Sunset 5:06 PM by the Agate Bridge on our way out of the park.

Sunset on Route 66

November 22, 2022. Sunset 4:49 PM. Santa Rosa, New Mexico. Continuing our drive back to California after visiting the Buddy Holly Museum in Lubbock, TX , we had perfect timing to reach the Historic Route 66 right at sunset.
This used to be the way to drive from one end of the US to the other. You can literally see for miles and miles in every direction--
Here are some photos from the Buddy Holly Center!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

November 21, 2022. Sunset 5:39 PM. Snyder, TX.

Driving through one of many windfarms we've passed today-- this one in Sydney, TX-- on our way to Lubbock for the evening and to the Buddy Holly Museum in the morning.

Texas is really big.

+ 7 seconds

November 20, 2022. Sunset 4:55 PM. Pacifica, CA.

"Pacifica Sunset tonight!"
- Elisabeth Beaird and Richard Marriott

the giant's lookout

November 18, 2022. Sunset 4:56 PM. Ocean Beach, CA.

"Sunset at the Giant Camera"
– Elisabeth Beaird

MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH…

November 17, 2022 Sunset 4:56 PM. San Francisco, CA. Our next-door neighbor, Tony is the first person to ring the bell in the slab out front- while we are away-- Hooray!!!
I was hoping to pass the torch and thank you Tony- for stepping up!

ARRIVED!

November 17, 2022. Sunset 5:33 PM. Austin, TX.

The Whole Foods parking lot in Austin, TX.
After many days of sharing the sunset in and around our car, we have arrived for a visit with Donald and Lillian where we will stay put for the next few days. See you back on the road in a few days.

passing through

November 16, 2022. Sunset 5:08 PM, Mimbres, NM.

Leaving Gila National Forest and the Gila Cliff Dwellings
We spent the afternoon at what remains of the temporary home to the Mogollon people in the late 1200’s is generously accessible to visitors to explore in this somewhat remote area (not so accessible) of the Gila National Forest. At one point during the climb, we heard lots of talking, echoing out into this lovely quiet environment. At first I was annoyed, but when I finally got into the “room”, there were only a few people there, very quietly speaking to each other in this very resonant space. It made me think of how it might have sounded 700 years ago- at the end of the day, everyone gathered together chatting, comfortable passing the evening together.

If you are ever even close to the area, it’s worth the drive to climb among and stand inside these well-preserved, evocative spaces.

Magic at Tom's House

November 15, 2022. Sunset 5:23 PM. Tucson, AZ. Leaving after a visit with our friend Tom who has transformed his home into an amazing Walden/Exquisite Mini Discovery/Invention center.
Thank you, Tom for a wonderful afternoon.

(switched Time Zones!)

1760 miles to go…

November 14, 2022. Sunset 4:46. PM. Beaumont, CA. Heading out on our drive from San Francisco to Austin Texas--
Here's the first of the sunsets along the way-- More to follow-
(We’re at the easternmost edge of Pacific Standard time on the California/Arizona border).

The final touches before passing the torch

November 13, 2022.
When beginning the dailybell project in 2008, the premise and practice was to observe every sunrise and sunset and to indicate the sharing of those moments with others by ringing bells – wherever one happened to be at those moments.

With the advent of covid and the subsequent shelter in place mandate in March of 2020, the idea of “wherever one happened to be” became much more predictable for those of us who were fortunate enough to be at home each evening.

So since Mid- March of 2020, we have been ringing the bell on the street in front of our home every night for the past 972 days.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to sustaining this practice and witnessing the end of the day together— every day since we first began to shelter in place in March of 2020. It’s been a wonderful experience and it would be great to see it continue- even as we now have largely resumed our more varied routines.

In an effort to make the large bell available without restriction, we have installed the bell in a slab of concrete and welded it in place in front of our home. We invite everyone who has participated in any of these past 972 sunsets (and anyone else within earshot or in the neighborhood) to continue to come by at sunset and ring the bell. It is my hope that the community of participants who have sustained this effort will feel free to and perhaps invested in continuing the practice on their own.

The final blink

November 12, 2022. Sunset 4:55 PM. Woodland Hills, CA.

“5:27 pm on HWY 113 between Woodland and Davis, CA XOXO”.
- Lynne Piade

Celebrating the inaugural ringing on the slab with Tony’s eggs

November 12, 2022. Sunset 5:00 PM. San Francisco, CA.
And here is the first sunset with the bell installed onto the cement.

Tony brings his very special eggs made with Coca Cola to celebrate-- These are amazing!!!

We did it!

November 12, 2022.

I’m hoping that everyone who has joined us while we’ve been out here most every night since March of 2020 will continue to drop by at sunset- whether we are here or not—Please ring the bell! I’ll be posting some QR codes out there in the morning for anyone who wants to check out the dailybell archival blog or cares to post to the FB page.