Would you look at that...Summer has arrived! Officially, we celebrated this day on Saturday, June 20, 2020. It was foggy here in San Francisco, a classic characteristic for these parts. Regardless, it has been amazing to wake up to the sun rising in the early morning. My alarm wakes me at 4:30, the song birds busily chirping away, especially our local parrots "alarming" screech as they fly by, the new day is just starting to churn. It is equally pleasant to have the days stretch out into the night in a time where I'm pretty much ready for bed. Yes, I crash at 9pm...i oddly feel a little guilty about it when it's still a little light out. I do love Summer!
Whenever I think of summer kicking off I think of Stonehenge! There is an annual pilgrimage of 20,000 people who visit this site to watch the rising of the sun over the Heel Stone, one of the largest of the Rock formations located just outside the circle. If you want to be one of the 20,000 visitors you'll have to travel to, Wiltshire, England. Hey, did you know that during Winter Solstice, also, the shortest day of the year, the sun sets in perfect alignment with the Heel Stone too! Amazing! One of these day's I'd love to return to this spot during this magical time. It is a true mystery how this structure was built. After all, 5,000 years ago during the Neolithic Age, these 22 tonne rocks don't seem to be the easiest to move. Especially when their origins trace them to Wales...140 miles away. Not to mention the circular construction has them perfectly align with the Sun? How did they do that? And why? This also reminds me of the magnificent Great Pyramids! They too align with our constellations.
I was discussing this very post with my friend Damien, he suggested that I be sure to mention that not only is today the longest day but also the shortest day of the year. Huh? Yep! It's the longest day for everyone in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest day for the Southern Hemisphere. That means my pals in Australia are in their first days of winter! Crikey!
So what are your plans for the summer? We are just slowly opening up from quarantine here in SF. I plan to keep my face mask on when I walk around in public. Wash my hands, but I also plan on enjoying the outdoors! Nice long walks! River rafting and lake swimming. I'm also working on Shrimp 'n Lobsters adventure books. Right now both books are in the middle of being put together by a talented team at the Collective Book Studio. Their original publishing date was this Fall, but due to COVID it was postponed until Spring 2021. This just leaves me more time to celebrate building on my favorite little buddies, Shrimp 'n Lobster. Keep an eye out! I'm putting together fun coloring book pages to download! I'm super excited. And I really hope it gets everyone hyped up to learn and explore amazing creatures of the world. So get your expedition hat ready. It's going to be a fun summer!
Happy Summer Solstice!