Winter Solstice

I heard on NPR that "solstice" means "sun stands still" because on the solstice and for a few days afterward, the sun rises in the same spot, sets in the same spot each day--instead of moving left or right on the horizon as the earth continues its revolution around the sun.

I took some photos of the sunset with my Nokia camera phone, while driving at about 60mph down Hwy 220 from Bellefonte to State College; it was about 3:30pm (eastern time), and I was heading almost directly into the setting sun.

I love the winter solstice--knowing that the days will now get longer as we move through the winter into spring and summer. The gardener and birdwatcher in me love summer best because the days are so long that I can get home from work about 5:30 and still have hours of daylight left to work in the garden or watch birds. Also, there's just something in me that resents coming home in the dark.

Welcome to the longer days after winter solstice. Now that winter is officially here, perhaps we'll actually get some snow.