As fall moves into winter, daylight wanes and darkness creeps in as my melancholy moods make their presence known. My favorite beaches and forest walks provide the solitude I crave during the dormant months. Days can be gloomy but if you are lucky a soft and often hazy light appears, especially in the late afternoon with the Pacific Northwest sun low on the southern horizon. There are beautiful monotones in the forests and ocean landscapes to behold that can lift my spirit. The coldness of winter feels just a little less cold and the darkness a little less dark. This is a feeling that lingers for a while, but then disappears like the changing weather.