Magical Solstice

Today I have been musing on how lucky I am to live here in Michigan. It is truly home to me, and I still marvel at the beauty of the landscape. Gentle hills, lush greenness everywhere, giant graceful trees, rivers and lakes abound. I think my 9 years in the desert may have sharpened my appreciation for the beauty of my home state. I longed for it so when I was far away.

Tonight on our drive home from visiting my parents, it was very misty and foggy in places, with fireflies twinkling everywhere. It looked like a fairyland. Then, just as we approached home the moon came into view and it was the most stunning harvest moon I have ever seen. Enormous, a deep orange and as bright as the sun, just beginning to rise above the treetops, with the shimmering mist alive with dancing fireflies below it. Alas, I didn't have the camera.

It was 10pm, and not yet totally dark here on the longest day of the year. To the west the sky was still light, pinkish violet, and to the east the brialliant moon lit the landscape. A vision I will not soon forget.