Island Light: Darkest Days
Carriage full of riders heads into West Tisbury center.
Carriage full of riders heads into West Tisbury center.
And a carriage of a different sort, fit for a faerie princess.
And a carriage of a different sort, fit for a faerie princess.
Sky stretches out as far as the eye can see from Squibnocket Beach.
Sky stretches out as far as the eye can see from Squibnocket Beach.
Mailboxes in the afternoon sun, wait for holiday deliveries on South Road.
Mailboxes in the afternoon sun, wait for holiday deliveries on South Road.
Snowy owl keeps an eye out.
Snowy owl keeps an eye out.
Reflections at Packer's Wharf in Vineyard Haven harbor.
Reflections at Packer's Wharf in Vineyard Haven harbor.
Summer Dawn returns to port on a late fall afternoon.
Summer Dawn returns to port on a late fall afternoon.
Don't alpacas make everyone smile?
Don't alpacas make everyone smile?
A few birches in Chilmark hold on to their brilliant color in early December.
A few birches in Chilmark hold on to their brilliant color in early December.
Brilliant sunset over Edgartown harbor fish pots.
Brilliant sunset over Edgartown harbor fish pots.
Edgartown Lighthouse stands as sentry to harbor opening.
Edgartown Lighthouse stands as sentry to harbor opening.
It must be 4 p.m. if the sun is setting over the new drawbridge.
It must be 4 p.m. if the sun is setting over the new drawbridge.
These are the darkest days. The sun only starts to climb above the horizon around 7 a.m., rides low across the sky, and already is dipping out of sight as 4 p.m. draws near. Until the winter solstice, which arrives Dec. 21, the day will continue to shrink, making daylight seem a brief and precious dream.
The darkness, too, has filtered into the land around us, muting the grasses and the ground. In the absence of the sun, the sea turns gray and black. Trees turn stark against the sky. Oak leaves, dry and brown, rustle in the wind.
Nature, however, can only mask its exuberance so far. One of the grandest shows of any part of the year glows on the western sky in the late autumnal sunsets: an ethereal palette of gold, ochre, red, lavender and pink. The evergreen tree holds the promise that life will continue; the western sky promises that color, too, will survive.