Getting ready for the 4th. 

Another beautiful day. 

The Bonfire Heats Up

Work is underway on building the bonfire. Wooden pallets arrive daily and the base is in place. It looks like another hugh one.

Went out for another paddle in the kayaks last night. The wind was up a little, but still a very enjoyable hour spent on the water before dinner.

Beautiful (Hot!) Weather

Yesterday was downright hot. The cove was full of kayakers, sunbathers, pleasure boaters, swimmers--just about anybody who wanted to cool off near the water and didn't want to fight the traffic to the beaches (like Good Harbor), seem to be here. It was great!

This morning (Sunday) started out warm, so we took the kayaks out for a little paddle (down toward the Annisquam). Exploring some of the exposed rocks just north of Plum Cove we saw a juvenile seal sunning himself. We paddled over toward it--when we got about 20' from it, it dove back into the water. We watched it swim by us--amazingly graceful. I swear it had a blue tinge to its color.

This was our first paddle with our daughter. She did great (okay, she fell out of the kayak trying to pick up a starfish, but was a good sport about it). I asked her how she liked kayaking and she said, "I just saw a seal, how cool is that?"

Summer Solstice

Yes! Today is the summer solstice--the first day of summer and the farthest north the sun will move along the horizon. And a beautiful day it was, mild temperature, reasonable humidity and generally sunny. Plus a beautiful sunset. After last week's cool gray weather it was all especially nice.

It has been interesting watching the sun move along the horizon. During the spring the progression of the sunset along the horizon is very fast--noticeable almost from day to day. As we approach the solstice, the sun moves much slower and finally reverses direction (today). It will move slowly back to the south during the summer and as we approach the equinox, it will set due west. The total angle along the horizon is approximately +/-32 degrees.

So much for the astronomy lesson. Yea! Summer is here!