By PATTIE MIHALIK

newsgirl@comcast.netExperienced photographers watch for "the golden hour" because they know that's the best time to take photos.Often called "the magic hour," that's the time right after sunrise or an hour before sunset when light is at its golden best.The golden hour about an hour before sunset is also one of my favorite times to be on the beach. Maybe it's the slight stillness of the air and the beauty of the light that appeals to me.Or, maybe it's knowing the end of the golden day is approaching that makes it so special for me.When things are about to end it makes us appreciate them all the more. We want to hang on to what's there. I know I never want to leave the beach during that hour.There are golden hours in life, just as there are golden hours at the beach. They are magical times so perfect that we wish we could paste them in a scrapbook so we can hang onto the moment forever.Many of my golden hours are just simple, perfect times times when I know I'm experiencing the best of life.Last Friday was one of those times.My friend Jeanne and I spent the day together, swimming in my pool then shopping at a new consignment shop.For dinner we went to an old Florida restaurant on the water. Jeanne was wise to want to skip the air-conditioned dining room in favor of eating outside.It was one of those perfectly balmy days that Florida is famous for. Best yet, it was the golden hour time of day.The water glimmered with a golden hue, and the picture-perfect sailboats and fishing trawlers made me wish I could paint the scene.Perfectly content, we watched osprey make their way back to their nests while a musician with a great voice entertained softly.I told Jeanne if we had all the money in the world we couldn't have enjoyed a more beautiful background for our dinner.That same week I had a golden day with my husband. We went to Sarasota with friends to a special dance right on the waterfront at the Ringling Museum.The Ringling mansion made a perfect backdrop on one side while Sarasota Bay made another perfect picture in front of us. Add to that the Latin music of an eight-piece orchestra, and it was an enchanting time.It was just one more day I wanted to paste in my scrapbook of memories.Sometimes, those golden moments I want to treasure forever are just simple snippets of daily life. Biking with David early in the morning then sharing lunch on my lanai might not seem like much to some people. But I often find myself wanting to preserve days like that so I can enjoy them forever.Now that I am older I am much more cognizant of hanging on to those moments, or at least capturing them forever in my mind.I'm sure I had many, many golden moments when I was younger. But I am equally sure I rushed about from one activity to another activity, not taking as much time as I should have to relish the golden moments that were mine to enjoy.I just got email from an East Penn reader who wrote: "Now that I am retired, I have time to appreciate the little things in life that bring smiles. We spend so much of life "doing" that we miss the meaningful quiet moments."That's so true.If you are lucky enough to have children in your life, you have golden moments drop in your life on a daily basis. I knew that was true when my kids were small, and I knew it all the more when grandchildren came along.Going to the store is a routine thing. But a memory that will always be precious to me is holding 4-year-old Emmy's hand as we walked to Sam's Club, making up games as we walked. When she said, "You're fun, Nonna," it was like I was given the world's best accolade.By the time we get grandchildren, we are more aware of the passage of time. We know childhood is all too fleeting, so we hang onto every moment we have with our grandchildren.When I think of precious moments with them, it is the everyday, simple things that come to mind: singing Grayson to sleep, playing hide and seek with Cameron, walking through a meadow with Emmy, standing next to Sophie in church during her Confirmation. They are all moments pressed into my heart.Years ago I started keeping a scrapbook of what I regarded as special times. The first photos are of fishing with friends on their boat, then walking the beach with them.Another page has photos of a small dinner party that I enjoyed cooking for six of my friends. I love having people over, and it's especially nice when we can linger at the table, just laughing together and enjoying each other's company.Take note that almost every one of my golden memories involves something simple. And almost every one didn't involve spending a lot of money.In the final analysis, it's not the big-ticket expensive items that give us lasting joy. It's the small moments I call golden hours that settle into my memory bank as worth preserving.