Photos by Cheryl Landes

During one of my drives through Connecticut, I made a spontaneous stop at a park in Norwalk about an hour before sunset. The temperature was perfect on this beautiful fall evening—in the low 70s—and it wasn’t muggy.

The 34-acre park is actually two parks side by side: Calf Pasture Beach and Shady Beach Park. They have beautiful views of Long Island Sound and Norwalk Harbor.

Both parks are popular for swimming, kayaking, fishing, clamming, sailing, windsurfing, rollerblading, softball, volleyball, basketball, picnicking, and strolls on the beach.

By the time I arrived, the few people who were here relaxed at picnic tables or benches. Some enjoyed the view from the Captain William Clark Fishing Pier.

Others walked the trails or in the sand.

The conditions were perfect that night for a double treat from Mother Nature: a colorful textured sunset, followed by the full moon rising with the sunset’s afterglow in the background.