Summer Solstice

[ArcticDiver]

For most of the States the Summer Solstice passes unnoticed. For some others it is a small thing. Here, just a few miles south of the Arctic Circle it is a big deal.

-The sun rises in the North, proceeds through the day in a lazy arc and barely goes below the horizon in the North. Technically the sun "sets" because it goes below the horizon. But the resulting civil twilight is like daylight. Even now the sun is still up and bright enough I had to pull the shades.
-There is a traditional baseball game that is played at midnight under natural light, no artifical lighting.
-Tomorrow there will be a 10K run starting at 10pm and lasting well after midnight.
-There are celebrations of all kinds and most of us will go literally all night.

Why the big deal? Well, in a couple days we will start the countdown to winter. Right now it is +80F and sun. The days will get shorter each day. At first it will be just a minute or two; almost unnoticable. Then it will progress to 7 minutes a day. Every 10 days or less the day will be an hour shorter.

Yes, Summer Solstice is a big deal. We celebrate as we do because in a primal way we know winter is coming. I post this because we need to share our culture as well as our knowledge. I value what I read on this forum and hope everyone else does too.

[oldsalt]

I'm with you. Even down at our latitude the solstice is a big deal. I'm just a few notches short of going to Stonehenge (We have a replica down on the Columbia River) and chanting at the sky. In my fantasy life I would enjoy the summer months in WA/BC/AK and spend Nov-Jan in Punta Arenas or Christchurch. Similar to the surfers in Endless Summer. Remember them?
Yeah summer, Curt

[ArcticDiver]

Surfers, Endless Summer? Before my time.


But the cycle to the south is familiar. One of the smoke jumpers here does exactly that. I've run into a couple people who cycle back and forth because they have to. Apparently, NZ and other places have rules that restrict how long a person can be there before they have to leave for a designated period.

Tonight it is +82F with some rainshowers in the area. That won't even slow down the 10K. There will be something like 3500 runners with another 500 or so support. For a town of about 30,000 that is a whopping turnout. It is a real party.

[Joshua Smith]

In my fantasy life I would enjoy the summer months in WA/BC/AK and spend Nov-Jan in Punta Arenas or Christchurch. Similar to the surfers in Endless Summer. Remember them?
Yeah summer, Curt

That sounds pretty great. I would add a layover in New Mexico for October through possibly Christmas, to enjoy the Chile harvest and great weather there....

[ArcticDiver]

In my fantasy life I would enjoy the summer months in WA/BC/AK and spend Nov-Jan in Punta Arenas or Christchurch. Similar to the surfers in Endless Summer. Remember them?
Yeah summer, Curt

That sounds pretty great. I would add a layover in New Mexico for October through possibly Christmas, to enjoy the Chile harvest and great weather there....

Christmas in Santa Fe was nice several years ago. From what I hear, now it is so expensive us poor folks from the North can't even get inside the city limits.

[pensacoladiver]

Even down here in south Florida, I am well aware of what the third week of June brings. It's not as big of a deal as far south as I am, compared to y'all, but the winter months do shorten our days here noticably as well.

I have ofthen thought that I would be a great candidate for living right dead smack on the equator.

[ArcticDiver]

Even down here in south Florida, I am well aware of what the third week of June brings. It's not as big of a deal as far south as I am, compared to y'all, but the winter months do shorten our days here noticably as well.

I have ofthen thought that I would be a great candidate for living right dead smack on the equator.

The older I get the more I look forward to my Hawaii trips. Since it is due South of us it is an easy flight with no jet lag. Wouldn't want to live there though. Island Fever is a real disease and from everything I know it is a tough culture to integrate into and I'm not much of a fan of expat style enclaves.

For you maybe places in both locations?

[diverden]

We like the solstice in Seattle. Yesterday it was 9pm and thought it was dark enough to turn my headlights on while driving home. Summer could actually start maybe in a couple weeks!

[pensacoladiver]

Even down here in south Florida, I am well aware of what the third week of June brings. It's not as big of a deal as far south as I am, compared to y'all, but the winter months do shorten our days here noticably as well.

I have ofthen thought that I would be a great candidate for living right dead smack on the equator.

The older I get the more I look forward to my Hawaii trips. Since it is due South of us it is an easy flight with no jet lag. Wouldn't want to live there though. Island Fever is a real disease and from everything I know it is a tough culture to integrate into and I'm not much of a fan of expat style enclaves.

For you maybe places in both locations?

I have always said, if I manage to strike it rich, I will most certainly have a summer house out there in the Whidbey area!

[Norris]

Here's to you striking it rich so we can dive again!!!

[pensacoladiver]

Rick,

I will certainly drink to that!