After sunset

When I visit friends in Berkeley, I usually stay until the girls’ bedtime, so that I can get them ready for bed there and then just toss them in their beds when we get home. So most of the time it’s dark by the time we’re leaving, but somehow we left tonight just after the sun went down and there was still some light in the sky. As we headed toward the freeway, Adriana pointed out the moon--a slender crescent shining against lavender. Then we were on I-80, headed toward home and I glanced across the bay. The water was rippled and silver, and Mt. Tamalpais was a purple silhouette on the other side with a thin mist around its base. I spend along, and soon Treasure Island was another shadow surrounded by fog, and then the city sparkled against the watercolor sky. The girls were drifting off to sleep in the back of the car after a long day at the zoo with friends and being spoiled by their surrogate grandparents, while I drove and listened to some of my favorite music and felt so, so lucky to be here.