Friday, June 21, 2013

The Summer Solstice!


Ready for the first day of summer? Prepping for BBQs, outdoor activities, or maybe fireworks? Or perhaps you’re more into the spiritual side of the solstice as observed in cultures around the globe.

Today is officially the first day of summer and the longest day of the year! In places like Stonehenge and New Grange the sun rises and casts light through these structures in mystic ways intended by the ancients. I myself will probably be relaxing in my backyard garden and hanging out with friends. I’ve been a bit lax with my blogging lately due to a new job and hanging out with my six-month-old son, but I’m hoping to get back into the groove of posting regularly again now that summer has begun.

What are you doing with your longest day of the year? Or if you’re in the Southern hemisphere, what do you do with your shortest day of the year? Any summer activities on your to-do list?

14 comments:

  1. Ohhhh... Stonehenge! That's seriously the most magical place I've been in my life! Love the picture.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's a bit hot and humid here, so I'll probably be hiding in a dark movie theater soon.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm seeing A Midsummer Night's Dream at an outdoor theater on Saturday. Perfect for the solstice weekend, I think. It's also a full moon this Saturday. Should be quite magical. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's light until 10 o'clock here. I just wish the rain would go away so I could enjoy it!

    Have a great first day of summer, Mark!

    ReplyDelete
  5. It's always extra nice for us on the longest day because it's also our wedding anniversary!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Praying that our state doesn't go up in flames-- the first day of summer is hot and that's not what CO needs right now. Fortunately, we seem to be safe n' sound for now.

    Bring on the reading!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hello Mark...Well, to answer your question about what I did on the longest day of the year.

    I enjoyed 35 minutes of swimming and a pedicure. (Self-nurturing is good!)

    Hit a couple of thrift shops and one consignment shop.

    Bought a birthday gift for my son-in-law.

    Went out to dinner at a barbecue place and then went grocery shopping!

    Whew! Great day. Hope yours was good, too. Susan

    ReplyDelete
  8. Unfortunately our summer solstice involved rain, rain, rain, floods, evacuations of 10000+ people in my city and surrounding townships, at least two people dead. Oh, and did I mention rain, rain, rain? :(

    ReplyDelete
  9. Damp and drizzly evening here I'm afraid. Have visited Stonehenge (not for solstice) it is an inspiring place to wander around.

    ReplyDelete
  10. We spent the day in much better conditions than some of the above Bloggers - so wishing all concerned better weather/conditions SOON.

    PS: Saw your comment on Morg's site re. no two writers writing the same... what if James Frey and a buddy got together? :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have been catching up with my reading from the past few days. Mark, do email me and tell me what is happening on Caesar's Revenge front. Are you querying it?

    ReplyDelete
  12. It's the shortest for me and it feels like winter just kicked in. It's FREEZING! I haven't been this cold in Sydney for a long, long time.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love, love summer! Planning on spending lots of time poolside, soaking up some sun!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Very cool to hear everyone's plans! We had summer weather here, but it recently got rainy. Hopefully, just a temporary thing:)

    ReplyDelete