Tag: summer in the San Juans

Summer comes to the San Juans

Fittingly, children powered the Earth float in Saturday’s Solstice Parade on Orcas Island. Photo by Thomas Willard.

HAPPY SOLSTICE! It’s almost 10 p.m. and there’s still a good bit of light in my Center Island sky this evening. It’s the longest day of the year.

I marked summer’s debut yesterday with a visit to neighboring Orcas Island, where my friend Tom hosted me at the annual Solstice Parade through the village of Eastsound. It was a celebration of island whimsy and gentle spirit, with human-powered floats, wacky costumes, a winged woman on stilts, a baton-twirling drill squad and much more.

Here are a few of my favorite images from the parade.

Islanders of every age paraded elaborate costumes and exhibited high spirits.
We welcomed the summer sun’s return to the San Juans.
Nothing says summer like a flamingo-headed wild woman in a lacy pink skirt. Photo by Thomas Willard

Happy summer, all.