watching the day turn into night

Sunset in Clearwater, FL
next to Pier 60.

My faith in the human race was partially restored (for a brief moment) while we were in Florida.  Clearwater is said to have some of the most beautiful sunsets on the east coast, because you get a pure ocean and no land view (due to the fact that you are on the west coast of Florida and the land on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico is very far away).  It was the second place on earth I had seen the sunset on water (the other place was Costa Rica at this time last year). 

Although, it was definitely a down time for Clearwater while we were there (the hotel was not a bustling metropolis and the beach was nowhere near crowded), all kinds of people came out to watch the Tuesday evening sun disappear into the ocean.  It was like this magnetic force that said, "come, now, watch one of nature's delights".  It warmed my heart to think that something as simple as a sunset could attract that many people.  Nature has a funny way of bringing people together, and more importantly, makes it okay to “stop and smell the roses”, or in this case "to stop and watch the day turn into night".