Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Solstice Recap

As most of you know, our family has certain traditions that we honor on the first day of all four of the seasons. Yesterday was the summer solstice and we made our way to the beach to catch the sunset.
It had been a pretty crazy day and we didn't check the forecast or anything - tradition is tradition. We just got in the car and drove like mad, hoping we wouldn't miss it.
Once we got to the coast, though, things were looking a little rough.


In ten years of solstice beach trips, we have never been rained out. I was really hoping it was moving in the other direction, so once we parked the car, I hopped out to survey the area.
Not good.


In short order, it started to really storm. But we'd driven for more than an hour to get there, so we decided to wait it out. Tradition is tradition. This is the solstice. We have to get onto the beach.



Things did clear up a bit eventually. We had a break in the clouds that lasted just long enough to get a little wet,


stick our toes in the sand,


and see the beautiful sunset I showed you earlier.

With the rain and storms, the light turned incredibly colorful. I took a couple of hand-held long exposure shots (read: they are supposed to be blurry). I love the softness of the moving water and...well...just how these make me feel.



There was homemade lemonade (Emma squeezed the lemons this year) and ice cream too. All in all, a wonderful way to celebrate the official start of summer.

6 comments:

Amy Button said...

I love them all! I think the pictures are beautiful but I understand the frustration of a rained-out beach trip.

Mary said...

Way to stick it out and thanks for taking us along again. I love your road trips.

Unknown said...

I think the photos are beautiful and I LOVE that ladybug toe ring! Great way to start the summer!

claibornes corner said...

I kinda like the "storm".....

mindy said...

Gotta love those summer Florida thunderstorms...luckily, they don't stick around for too long. So glad you guys got a chance to enjoy the beach for a bit!

60ish and Glad said...

You should use your photos and make inspirational calendars for Christmas gifts. You could use some of your writing and use photos from throughout the year.