Monday, June 21, 2010

WELCOME SUMMER SOLSTICE!

... On The Summer Solstice ...
"Whatever is dreamed on this night, will come to pass."

William Shakespeare -

Acknowledging the Magic of This Time
A Mid-Summernight's Dream



Gerbera Daisy



Iceland Poppy


Zinnia





Solstice, from the Latin for sun stands still, in astronomy, either of the two points on the ecliptic that lie midway between the equinoxes(separated from them by an angular distance of 90°).At the solstices the sun's apparent position on the celestial sphere reaches its greatest distance above or below the celestial equator, about 23 1/2° of arc. At the time of summer solstice, about June 22, the sun is directly overhead at noon at the Tropic of Cancer.In the Northern Hemisphere the longest day and shortest night of the year occur on this date, marking the beginning of summer. At winter solstice, about December 22, the sun is overhead at noon at the Tropic of Capricorn; this marks the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. For several days before and after each solstice the sun appears to stand still in the sky, i.e., its noontime elevation does not seem to change from day to day."

Solstice information courtesy of ~

22 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh my what a lovely treat
you gave us today. I
certainly enjoyed my visit!
~Brooke
http://creativecountrymom.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/WebGarden/261885457648?ref=ts

Unknown said...

I hope to dream that my garden one day becomes as beautiful as yours, dear Joey! :)

Happy summer solstice...

Anonymous said...

Dear Joey, The quotation from Shakespeare with which you introduce yet another vibrant and beautifully presented collage is so fitting for this night of all nights.

Way back in the early 1970s I was so fortunate as to see Peter Brook's highly imaginative, totally [for the times] innovative, completely modern 'Dream' at Stratford. Forty years on I still remember it vividly and have never wished to see, nor have I, another production, so perfect was it.

Victoria said...

Hi Joey...yay what a dazzling post and celebrating so much beauty of this special time of year! Blessings of Summer Solstice to you and all your loved ones!! Such a beautiful post..your blooms are awesome!
Kiki

Costea Andrea Mihai said...

wonderful colors!!!

lindalou said...

Great photos. I'm think you may have told me before, but what application do you use for your photo montages. They are just so cool.

Roses and Lilacs said...

We should definitely celebrate this day. We will have fifteen and a half hours of daylight today. It doesn't seem that long ago the days were so very short.

Love your zinnias. I found one pink one this year to add to a container. I used to always grow zinnias until I had a disastrous plague of mildew a couple years ago and gave up on them for a while.
Marnie

Christine B. said...

Whatever is dreamed tonight will come to pass?! Yikes, another good reason to get my chocolate stash out and start chowing. My dreams are oddish at best.

Christine in Alaska

joey said...

Welcome Brooke and thank you for the kind comment. Do come back again. Happy Summer :)

And Happy Summer Solstice to you, dear Kim :) Thank you for the lovely compliment ... you do very well yourself melding form & substance ... plus the gift for presenting all with loving humor.

Thank you, dear Edith. This is one of the loveliest nights of the year ... I love it! A timely note about the production ... you are filled with delightful tales. How fun to live near and celebrate this event together!

Always a delight, Kiki, thank you and Happy Summer Solstice :)

Happy to see you again, Costea, and thank you. Please do return ... lots more color popping!

Thanks, Lindalou ... Picasa works well and very user friendly. Happy Summer :)

Agree, Marnie. Where did spring go? The zinnias are in a huge container garden and, gone so much, hope they make it! Happy Summer gardening fun friend :)

I must beware too, Christine ... so are mine :)

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Oh, yay! I shall dream of winning the lottery so I can garden and ride horses all the live long day. Just kidding. Gorgeous photos, as usual Joey!

F Cameron said...

Joey - I had completely forgotten about the solstice as we were busy with my archaeologist son who was home the last three days. This is the hottest June that I can remember. It feels like August.

Your photos look so soothing and cooling.

Rose said...

Magical images, Joey! The little cherubs look as though they're waiting for a party with the fairies tonight. I'm wishing for sunny skies for awhile, but the lightening is flashing in the distance, so it looks like we're in for another storm. May all your midsummer night's dreams come true!

joey said...

May all your wishful dreams come true, Kate! Thanks and Happy Summer :)

How delightful, Cameron! Nothing beats precious time spent with our children. High 80s today here too ... wilting weather for me.

Do hope your midsummer night's dreams come true also, Rose. The storms passed over us early this AM ... the garden got a good watering. High 80s and humid ... yuk! Luckily, a dinner party tonight will keep me cool inside, prepping & cleaning :)

Gail said...

Hi Joey, I've just back from OKC and visiting friends~What a lovely treat to stop by and see your post. happy Summer! gail

Kala said...

So many lovely images! The colors in the mosaic of the Iceland poppies are gorgeous.

(I am a little sad to see the days grow shorter from now on)

Rick said...

Gorgeous blooms again (or is it still?) joey. And that's a lovely sundial you have - I'll have to show you mine sometime.

joey said...

Thank you, dear Gail, and happy summer :)

Thanks, Kala ... I love iceland poppies and have them in a container so I can enjoy them more. Yes, I had to see the days grow shorter too, hate to even think about November!

Hi Rick and thanks. Yes, would love to see your sundial ... I've had this for ages!

Nutty Gnome said...

Joey - how do you do it?! Usually it's your gorgeous recipes that get me drooling, but your photos did it for me today! :D

Your info on the solstice was great as it had some bits in it I didn't know.I love summer and am TOTALLY ignoring the whole 'days getting shorter again' thing ;P

Anonymous said...

What a magical time of year, Joey, thanks for reminding us of that. Your lovely shots of flowers and friends in the garden are what it's all about! :-)
Frances

ps. May all your dreams come true, my friend.

Mary Bergfeld said...

What a lovely post, Joey. Your camera work is wonderful and you've done a great job with your mosaics. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

RURAL said...

OK, this makes me long for summer's heat, so I can gaze at your photos and feel the tranquility.

And I am not a heat person, so you can see how enchanting they are.

Jen

joey said...

How do I do it, dear Nutty? A bit 'nutty' like you, dear friend and why I so enjoy our friendship :) I refuse to think about the days getting shorter (lie... lie...lie). I totally love long summer days and the 'remains of the day'! (Hard to post recipes since have had OOT guests and too busy cookin' in the kitchen)!

... and may all your summer dreams come true also, dear Frances. Even with coming and going, aren't our gardens lovely! We plant a living garden and like our life, needs constant tweaking! Happy Summer, dear gardening friend :)

Welcome Mary ... delighted to have you visit and thank you. You can see that not only gardening but, like you, favorite food posts are a huge part of my life. You have been on my side 'food haunts' since I found your wonderful site. Blessings!

I am not a 'heat' person at all, Jen. 78ยบ F suits my fancy! Summer ((hugs))!