Summer Solstice Eve

On the evening of Monday June 20th - the evening before the summer solstice - I went home to my place in the country (I had a medical appointment on June 21st and had to take the day off for it).  I walked outside just as the sun was setting and gasped at how beautiful it was. A perfect evening to precede the first day of summer, the longest day of the year.

The sky was getting redder and redder as I watched. It seemed Mother Nature was doing it on purpose to celebrate the end of spring and the advent of the lazy hazy days ahead.

The river reflected all that red sky and looked very clear and still. This was the kind of evening that Peter and I used to go out canoeing to get the best view of the changing sky while floating on the river.

After a while, the red got all infused with touches of gold. It really looked molten.

But it was getting dark so I had to walk back to the house. On the way, I noticed this happy cluster of daisies in a wild patch. The white looked very intense in the waning light. They are definitely a high summer flower, and especially wonderful because they are wild and just seem so cheerful.