Summer Solstice Update 2025
June 19, 2025
The Summer Solstice, June 20, 2025, ushers in the joys of sunny days and lazy vacations. Our world in the Northern Hemisphere is in full bloom. For those in the Southern Hemisphere, welcome to winter.
The gardens of my new hometown of Granada host ever-changing floral displays. Spring begins with flashy purple iris. Next, fragrant lavender and white wisteria dangle from arbors over outdoor cafes. Then, bright red roses take center stage while orange pomegranate blooms decorate leafy branches. Soon their spherical fruit will begin to swell.
Granada has also provided a surfeit of fiestas. During Semana Santa (Easter Week), multiple processions filled the streets every day. Penitents in pointed hoods and flowing robes preceded antique sculptures of the Virgin Mary or Jesus Christ carried on the shoulders of devout men. Brass bands followed. Women crowned with black lace mantillas carried lighted candles. I climbed the steep Sacromonte to see the procession of Christ of the Gypsies where flamenco singers honored the statue of Christ on the cross with their poignant songs. I stood in darkness for El Silencio, the somber procession on Maundy Thursday where streetlights are extinguished, and the only sound is the hollow beat of a single drum. By the end of the week, so much candle wax had dripped onto the streets that cars spun their wheels on the cobblestones.
Next celebration up was Día de la Cruz on May 3rd. Homes and businesses erect crosses covered with red carnations, surrounded by artifacts of rural life in Andalusia. Women proudly wear flamenco dresses. Men dress as caballeros, and some ride horses in the street. People dance flamenco in the plazas. The best crosses are awarded prizes.
From the 14th to the 21st of June is Granada's Feria. It's something like an American country fair, but instead of showcasing animal husbandry, the emphasis is on flamenco. Booths host ongoing parties of flamenco guitar, singing, and dancing. Again, everyone dresses in their flamenco finery and indulges in wine, beer, and local gastronomy. The fairgrounds are at the edge of town. Special buses are provided, and parades fill the city streets. I've got to hand it to Spaniards. They are indefatigable partiers.
It's already hot here, with temperatures pushing 100°F some days. Spaniards have a strategy for hot summer weather, whether or not they have air conditioning. As soon as the sun starts to stream through the windows, they close the persianas (dark rolling blinds that cover the outside of the windows). They spend the day in semi-darkness with fans turning. I'm using this technique in my house, and it works. When it is 98F outside, it's 82F in my house. Indoors, you can read, write, listen to music, watch movies, do remote work, and of course, take a siesta. After dark, blinds are raised, and Spaniards take to the streets to meet, eat, and socialize. Many people wear white day and night.
Nighttime is party time. I spent one Saturday night on a rooftop terrace in the Albaicin, a 700-year-old neighborhood, where I joined a dozen young women in summer dresses. We enjoyed food, wine, and conversation as the illuminated Alhambra loomed above us against the dark sky. The house with this magical view belongs to my friend Cristo. He rents rooms to university students who come to Granada for a semester to study Spanish. His tenant wanted to throw a goodbye party for her new friends before returning to Germany. He invited me to join the gathering. The conversation bounced between Spanish, English, French, and German. Potluck dishes included tabbouleh, mozzarella with tomatoes and basil, herb and olive-studded focaccia, colorful skewers of summer fruits, and memorable brownies with raspberries embedded in the dark chocolate cake. As Cristo and I chatted about life and lost loves, the young women gave each other little gifts and sentimental cards while they reminisced about their great adventure in Spain. Affection, gratitude, and kindness hung in the air. I reveled in the moment, a microcosm of how I think the world should be.
When I worked in film production, Summer Solstice was both a blessing and a curse. In terms of productivity, it was a blessing. It's the longest day. More hours of daylight mean you can get more work done. That's a curse in terms of exhaustion for the cast and crew. It's one brutal day. I remember one Summer Solstice in Texas when we shot a sunrise scene and a sunset scene. To capture a sunrise shot, the crew must arrive well before dawn to set up. The crew call was 4 am. No one likes that. Dolly Parton, playing Miss Mona in "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," showed up to provide moral support even though she was not in the scene and didn't have to be there. She was all done up, wearing a plaid flannel shirt and jeans, friendly, smiling, and cheering everyone on. Her upbeat energy was much appreciated, although I didn't see her around when the sun was finally sinking below the horizon.
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I've been publishing this newsletter through the Authors Guild website software. Although my website will remain the same, the Authors Guild is discontinuing the newsletter service. Before the Autumnal Equinox, I will have to find another platform for sending out this newsletter, which means you will probably be asked to opt in again. I know it is an annoying hassle. I apologize. I appreciate your interest in my stories. Please hang in there. If you use a newsletter platform that works well for you, please recommend it to me.
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About that Autumnal Equinox newsletter, I may be having knee replacement surgery around then. If the newsletter doesn't arrive on time, please cut me some slack. I may be temporarily out of commission. I promise a special edition before Winter Solstice. Now, go have fun in the sun!!!