Yahoo! It's the First Day of Summer

     The little kid in me says yipee it's the first day of summer. The older person in me thinks once again what the first day of summer really means. For a little kid summer means long , warm , sunny days when you can play outside. For adults we may also look at pleasant summer activities but also the changes in many things that go along with this time.


      For someone who lives on the land the solstice has very real meaning. I'm not sure how important the solstice is for urban dwellers or if they even are aware of the event.


      I was raise on a farm so the long days were very important. As a little guy I wanted to play more and work less. Success on a farm was closely controlled by the weather. Each activity was dictated by weather. Starting field work before dawn and watching the sunrise as a treat. On the other end I watched many colorful sunsets.


    I also spent five years in the Arctic and that was a much more significant solstice. There was much more celebration of the solstice as we would find a high point and watch the sun. Of course, the sun didn't set. It just went lower in the sky and then climbed back .


    Ancient peoples who were nomadic or those earlier people who were agricultural societies had there own solstice celebrations. It's interesting to know how the different cultures celebrated. 


     In Red Deer , Alberta today the sun rose at 5:14 AM and sets at 10:01 PM. I will try to stay up past my bed time to get a shot of 10:00 PM daylight.

North side of house 9:29 PM

Looking south 9:45 PM

Just before sunset 9:50 PM

Just before sunset

Directly west at 9:55PM

In my yard at 10:00 PM

    So here's to all of you! Have a great summer!