Summer Solstice in Seattle

Daughter in Japan celebrated the summer solstice at a potluck picnic sol-a-bration in the park (removed to somebody's apartment because of rain), starting off with some yoga (Tuffy says she doesn't do yoga – wrestling and judo and MMA, but no yoga), soccer (presumably deferred), and dinner, then watching the late sunset and fireworks (this part presumably still outside) on the shores of beautiful Biwako in Nagahama. They do serious fireworks in Japan.

We celebrated the summer solstice by going to Costco for dog food.

In previous years we took in the Fremont Solstice Parade, a very Seattle kind of artsy, hippie-dippy affair led off by several hundred cyclists wearing body paint and not much else. (The naked cyclists got started in the mid-90s with a handful of naked bicyclists taunting the police by streaking the parade. Now the butts on bikes have come to symbolize the festival. Who knows how these things happen?) It's tomorrow, but I think we'll take a pass. It's hard to find a place to watch where I can see anything besides a wall of fully-clothed butts.

I don't know why I don't make a bigger deal out of celebrating the summer solstice. I love the long days, even if they're often kind of gray and gloomy in this part of the world. Maybe it's because, from here on out, the days are getting shorter and darker. Can't like that. At the winter solstice, the days starting to get longer really seems like something to celebrate. Maybe that's it.

Still, it's been a nice long day. And we've got plenty of dog food.