Okay, the summer solstice was officially June 20 at 23:09 GMT this year so I'm a tad late in wishing you a joyous midsummer. But hey, there's still plenty of time to enjoy the languid days of summer.
As for me, Summer Solstice 2012 was spent in a modern interpretation of ancient rites.
In days of the old, they lit bonfires.
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| Huge Bonfire in Norway on Summer Solstice. Photo by Geir Halvorsen |
We decided to forgo the bonfire. It was 110 here yesterday (105 in the shade). If we lit a bonfire, it would probably burn down half the county. Our heat was supplied by the sun. No need to amplify the effect with fire.
Our ancestors gathered together, feasted and drank mead.
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| Paramount Pictures |
We gathered - with about 26,000 others from our community - and watched the Diamondbacks play the Seattle Mariners. Gathering with friends, family and total strangers to watch sport. Perhaps it's our modern equivalent of the bonfire gatherings of old?
We feasted - on chili dogs, hamburgers, pizza, fries and ice cream. There was no mutton or game roasted over the fire. But you could smell the odor of popcorn and hot dogs on the street outside the stadium, the smell of a feast beckoning you in.
But most importantly, we took a day off of work, summer camp, and responsibility to gather and enjoy each other's company and revel in the joys of the season. Good times, good times.
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| Friends & Family enjoying the Diamondbacks game |
Please stop by tomorrow and join me in the first annual Science Fiction Romance Brigade (SFR Brigade) Midsummer Blog Hop. Hippity hop yourself from blog to blog and enjoy the posts about midsummer by the fabulous authors in the SFR Brigade.
Oh, and did I mention the chance to win fabulous prizes? Like your choice of a Kindle or Nook?
Get a head start here and enter my own mid-summer giveaway (Rafflecopter below).
How did you spend the solstice? Did you do anything special to celebrate? Or was it just another day for you?
Cheers, Miss Natalie :)
ReplyDeleteMoi? I spent my Summer Solstice as I do most days ... at the beach, and it was beyond marvelous! It's funny, I've almost always lived in towns which are vacation destinations for most: makes for busy holiday periods, bonkers parking issues and blissfully quiet off-seasons.
Summer on a San Diego beach, similar to Colonial Williamsburg, has a spirit and sensorial nature all its own. Yesterday, more than any day thus far this year -and it's been beach weather since Feb.- truly felt like summer. Cyclists whizzed by our balcony all day, beach cruisers, skateboarders and bikini girls strolled by at regular intervals and the beach itself was alive with fams, friends and festivities. As I fell asleep, the waves even sounded louder than usual and the night air was a gorgeous mixture of brine, salt air and campfire smells. Mmmmm.
Whilst I did not have mead, I did enjoy a bottle of Nero d'Avola red with my very own Viking. :)
Sounds like a marvelous Summer Solstice for you. And I prefer the red to the mead myself :-D
Deletei read the same book all year anything that is parnormal or sci-fi, magic, witches, ghosts, and anything people say don't happen. Thats me. Now for spending my day on the summer soltice i did nothing but watch t.v. and read. See i am disabled so i don't have a exciting life so i get some excitment from the books i read. Thanks alot Joannie jscddmj[at]aol[dot]com
ReplyDeleteJoannie, thank you for stopping by the blog. Best wishes in the blog hop giveaway
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