Still Gazing After All These Years

Yesterday the Universe gave us a gorgeous Summer Solstice, with the air Sahara dust and haze free for the first time in days. 

This little place is so great, I just can't help taking photos of it.

I wanted to hang out on the old public dock but a family had already claimed it. And then it was really too hot to do much in the beating sun except look at the beauty from a cooler shady breezier place. Like the porch! But the porch deck is good. 

Yes, I can live with this view and shade too.

But it was the Summer Solstice! There were beaches out there! Pick a beach, any beach. Well, any beach that we could take a good dog to play on.

A few groups of people were still there but there was an exodus going on as the sun let go of the longest day of the year. The water was warm but still cool enough to lower overheated body temperatures. In a word, the water was perfect.

Sunset and a cloud filled horizon came together. 

It was time for doggies to come ashore

For late June, the air was unusually cool, cool enough to put shirts back on over damp bathing suits.

This rain went completely across the horizon, far out to sea. Another good show.

For the first time since the nightly sky show was showing the moon, Venus and Jupiter close and brightly shining, it was cloud free visible, though even as we watched it got hazy. It was that time of night where there was just enough light to make it my life long challenge time photographically, so I'll spare you the fuzzy rendition of what was really a beautiful sight. Beams of deeply pink/orange light bracketed the moon and planets for a long moment; it was the perfect close of the curtain. 

Except then we got a bonus round of deer, leaping across the road, much too quickly to photograph except in our brains. As the passenger, I enjoyed it but that twinge of deer leaping into the road at dusk startle was in the air and I'm glad I wasn't driving. 

There is light in the sky, soon (coffee soon) it is on to a beach walk. Tradition does matter!

Have a most mellow of Mondays. Do something magnanimous (great version of the definition - generous and understanding and tolerant).