The color of magic

Magic hour isn't even an hour: it's only a few minutes somewhere about 10 - 20 minutes after sundown. You determine the exact time by eye; it varies with location, season and the lighting of your exterior. Try a series of shots and you'll see just how wildly the light varies as day turns into night. Do this as an assignment if you haven't already.
Above is an excerpt from a technical blog that I frequent. If you are interested in vivid photographic colors, read the article. It delves deeper into the phenomena of evening light. I've been piddling with the concept. After all the rain, yesterday's sunset was interesting. I rushed out to practice what I had learned.
This was shot with a my 18-135 lens at its widest. I was facing southeast, away from the sunset. I manipulated the white balance a bit. I think I used the spot meter reading, taken from the pink area of the sky? It works pretty good but some graininess is evident. I think that is from the underexposure. Reading from the foreground, however, did not offer the intense color I am seeking.
The second image is taken with the same settings only facing a more westerly direction, into the sunset. It's close but not exactly what I'm trying for. I think the article is talking less about sunsets and more about the evening light on other objects. I like these but I'm not there yet. I will have a better starting point for my next attempt at capturing that "magic minute."
l8r