Fall here is beautiful in its own way, not in a familiar North Carolina way, but in a way that catches my breath nonetheless.

The salmon are beginning their run, and happy fisher people (mostly fishermen) are daily swarming the river, giddy with the prospect of catching a big fish. A happy man popped up from the riverbank just this morning, a large, pink fish swinging from his side.

Why do you think they fish all together instead of spreading out?

Rain came back in a big way, too, over the weekend. More than two inches over four days. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

After the rain cleared, the day was so beautiful I could not stay inside. I walked along the river in the golden hour. More people than usual had come out to enjoy the evening. Everything felt crisp, even though puddles still dotted the saturated trails.

This puddle is usually the last to disappear after a good rain.

Ducks reveled in the fast-flowing river, their feathers shining in the setting sun.

People seemed kinder and friendlier to one another, calling out about the beautiful evening or the recent rain, leashing loose dogs instead of letting them run off to cause mayhem with approaching strangers, stopping to share fishing stories before hurrying off to create more tales.

Soon, the big birds will arrive, and it’ll be hard for me to stay inside.

Instead, I’ll troop around outside, sometimes with the dog, sometimes with the camera, sometimes managing both on the same trip. And in those magic golden hours of the day, just after sunrise and just before sunset, don’t look for me indoors. Fall is too beautiful to miss, those hours too beautiful to spend inside.

A majestic oak and the setting sun

What’s your favorite time of day to be outside in fall?

If you want to capture striking photos, the golden hours are best. Here’s a handy tool to help you figure out the evening golden hour where you live. Whether you’re a novice or pro at taking photos, let me encourage you to get outside in the coming days, away from the TV, away from social media, so you can drink in the beauty around you.