Photographers and painters often speak of "The Golden Hour;" that last hour before sunset where everything seems "warm" because of the color of the sun's light being viewed through a particularly thick layer of atmosphere.
I know this time well, because (as you probably know) I love photographing sunsets.
What I had forgotten is that in the snowy part of winter it would more appropriately be called "The Blue Hour."
After snowfall; 5:15pm
We don't get a lot of snow around here, but I grew up with quite a bit of it, in Denmark. And I had sort of forgotten just how blue the light becomes, during the last 30-45 minutes before dark.
These pictures were actually taken while there were still a few snowflakes falling.
It probably looks cold. It is...
We're having a bit of a "winter event" around these parts. Evidently enough to make the news in other parts of the US... although I don't really think it's all that much of a big deal.
Yet.
Because there is absolutely no wind, even the tiniest of twigs catch the snow
Not entirely related to this post, but this is when the "permanence" of the blockchain is kind of fun. I can put this post together, and my grandkids might be able to look at it, when they have grandkids of their own.
At least that's how it's supposed to work, in theory.
So far, we have only had about 4-5" of snow... which is not super unusual. In fact, it happens most winters here. What's pretty unusual for these parts is this forecast for the next 10 days:
In the 13-odd years I have lived here, I have not seen a prolonged wintry spell like this.
Tip of the hat to 
Well, in case y'all have gotten a bit chilly around the edges, here's a genuine "Golden Hour" photo... this from a few years back, taken near Tomales Bay in Marin County, California.
Seems rather far off, at the moment...
Thanks for reading!
Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 190208 22:13 PST
0878