Less Day, More Night

This is the beautiful sky that I saw yesterday while walking to the grocery store with a few friends. It was a bit after six o'clock in the evening and the sun was setting behind he buildings across the river.

I hadn't been outside at dusk for a while, partially because it is rather chilly outside and partially because rehearsals for various different things have begun. They take place after the end of our last class (at five-thirty), meaning that some days I do not finish until seven (and occasionally eight) o'clock. When I do have rehearsal, the sky is dark by the time I am released. This has made me realize just how short the days have gotten, and it's only October! I hadn't noticed it as much before this, when my evenings were usually spent going about my business in my room. Having scheduled rehearsals makes me more aware of what time it is, so I realized just how early the night has begun to arrive.There are still almost a full two months before the solstice, though, so the days are going to get a lot shorter before they start getting longer again. 

The solstice is actually something that I am really looking forwards to. If all goes according to my current plans and I stay here through the end of June, I will get to experience the shortest and longest days of the year in Saint Petersburg. Because the city is much further north than Denver, there is a greater range between the length of the shortest and longest days of the year. I'm glad that I'll get to experience both extremes.