Summer Solstice

Today is the first day of summer. An easy way to celebrate is to do what the tourists do in Hawaii. After a fun day Hawaiian-style, island visitors head for the beach at the end of the day. They go specifically to enjoy the sunset. They go early carrying beach chairs and all the beach stuff they might want and need along with snacks and drinks in coolers. They find a good spot, get comfortable or maybe dip into the warm water and then settle in to watch the sun in all its dramatic blaze and glory dip into the sea. The sight is always different and always magnificent.

We can do the same thing here at home. Choose a favorite outdoor spot in the yard or head on down to a nearby river and watch the longest day of the year fade into what we hope will be endless summer days of fun and good weather. If you're with others, ask them to share any of the summer solstices that they might remember. When I was 15, I spent the longest day of the year in the front row at the Outdoor Theater at the Shakespeare Festival watching Romeo and Juliet. It was the beginning of a lifelong love affair with the old Bard.