Day 52: I’m raising a sunset chaser (or hater)

The sky looked like sherbet, though my phone didn't quite capture the colors.

I was on the wrong end of a bad attitude tonight. Calin didn’t want to leave his dad so he pushed every button he could on our car ride home.

“I’m not in the mood to talk right now,” he said, when I asked how his day was.

“Nuffin’,” he replied, when I asked what he did today.

“The sky isn’t beautiful,” he scowled, when I pointed out the sherbet-colored sunset.

Sherbet… that sparked a new idea. “Yum, it looks good enough to eat,” I told him.

His face perked up. I had his attention. “I wanna eat the sherbet sky!” he exclaimed.

I mumbled something about being able to see it better from the top of a hill, but when we got there, the sunset was too low. And now Calin was determined to take a scoop out of the sky, which meant he had to get out of the car.

As we headed from Rockford to Grand Rapids, I thought about one of the house listings I saw a few weeks ago. It actually listed a great view of the sunset as one of the selling points. The house was cute, but it was that point that really hooked me. If you read my Facebook Project 365, you may have noticed I have an obsession with the sky. Clouds, stars, sunsets, you name it. I’m enthralled by the sky’s vast, endless splendor. Unfortunately, someone else is, too, because they nabbed the house before I even got a walk-through. Realtors should really consider listing such views more often.

Anyway, as we approached the city, the sun was quickly setting. I debated heading to park by the Sixth Street bridge, but was worried we’d miss it. Calin was really into taking a bite out of the sky. So much so that I was concerned he forgot it was just a game of pretend. I didn’t want to chance the attitude again.

Then I remembered a new friend mentioning Lookout Park yesterday. I’ve never been there, but knew the general whereabouts. It’s facing West, so I’d imagine with a name as such, we’d have a pretty good view of the setting sun. So that’s where the Camry carried us. We made it with moments to spare. Calin reached toward the sky and dug out a scoop of sherbet. “Yummy! Tastes salty!”

The sky still had a sliver of pink and Calin finally got his scoop full of sherbet.

Whew. He was content with pretend – though clearly confused on his flavors.

As I looked around this small spot overlooking downtown Grand Rapids, I was shocked that I’ve never been here before. Do you know how many times Calin and I chased the sunset last summer? This is freakin’ spectacular! I can’t wait for the weather to warm up. Anyone know anything about the surrounding neighborhood? Is it worth looking at the homes for sale?