Jeff Lubeck

On Thanksgiving day there is a 5K (3.1 mile) Turkey Trot Run on the Beach in Waimea, Kauai Hawaii.  The course is from the Public Pier to the Small Boat Harbor and back.  What a great Trot this race represents.  The coolest aspect is that families, kids, and dogs of all ages participate.

The route is a subset of what Linda and I walk and or run almost every day.  She and I are blessed.

On this day – Thanksgiving 2021 – Linda and I will cover the 4 miles on the beach at dawn, hang around the yard, prepare a Thanksgiving meal, hike the Grand Canyon of The Pacific, and consume Thanksgiving Dinner.

The Turkey Trot is about to start.

Runners of all ages and all sizes run on the beach or the beach trail.

The Cactus are blooming in the back yard.

In all sorts of colors

Linda prepares the Thanksgiving Day Feast with assistance from the Border Collies – Sage and Willow.

The Waimea Canyon from the Kukui Trail on Thanksgiving afternoon.

The sun sets at our house on Thanksgiving day.

The Sunsets from the west side of Kauai are proving to be as advertised – sensational.  As the sun moves north and south throughout the year, the very best spot on Kauai changes  A good deal of time, the best view is from our home located on the oceanfront beach in Waimea town just north of the Waimea River.  In Mid November the sun is setting West Northwest of the house.  On December 21st the shortest day of the year, Sunset will be due West.

However, I have learned there is a Magical Period – even better than the Golden Hour (i.e., 60 minutes before and up to Sunset or the opposite for Sunrise).  At least that is the name I am calling it.  The Magical Period sits somewhere in between Civil end and Astro end.  Often the Most Magical of the Magical Period sits dead between Nautical and Astro.  The Magical Period is heavily influenced by clouds and the dust/dirt in the air.

The photograph above was captured a 6:59 PM on 11/15/2021. It was taken from the porch of the house  It was captured an hour and four minutes after sunset, and 13 minutes after nautical end of day and 13 minutes before Astro end of day.

The images below are screen shots from one of my favorite tools – https://photoephemeris.com. I use the site extensively in planning what I capture and when.  The images reveal the location of the sun – from many different perspectives – throughout the day.