Can you feel it? That special feeling that happens in the in between days of Winter and Spring? Winter isn’t quite yet gone and Spring isn’t quite yet here allowing us to notice little snippets of happiness to come.
Seeing as my last summer day was February 2009, I am crushing on Northern Hemispherian summer like a Japanese school girl on Hello Kitty. The Canadian says he is very proud of me for making it through my first Canadian winter and even though it was “mild”, I did it! So now that the winter coats are being put away for another season, I am starting to think about all the wonderful and exciting things I will get to do here in my first summer in Vancouver.
Back home in Australia, my summer days are filled with the smell of gardenias, afternoons at the beach, escaping to the movies or a shopping centre on super hot days, music festivals, picnics in the Botanic Gardens, living in Havaianas, eating dinner outdoors, walks around the harbour, Sydney festival concerts, pool parties, street cricket, drives to the northern beaches and barbecues.
I have no idea what our summer rituals will become here. The possibilities are exciting and intriguing. I’m super excited about the very late light which we don’t get in Australia. The latest it stays light in summer is generally around 7.30/8pm. I hear it can be well past 9 or even 10pm here. New worldly experiences that are so foreign to me inspire me to discover and observe.
I would love to hear what you get up to in summer time. Got any tips for places to go or things to do? I’d love to do a road trip somewhere. Somewhere where the light is long and low begging to be filmed by my camera.
p.s. The Polaroids above were shot for the most recent Words To Shoot By on the theme of ‘happy‘. Check out the rest of the photographers for this week!
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i remember summer as a child as that special time when we played tag in the dusky light and rode our bicycles forever and forever. it was a time of scabbed knees and mosquito bites. so much different now. now i work in a big building and gaze out the window longing. its stealing away for weekend getaways and barbeques with family. it’s quiet, lazy and full of iced sweet tea.
I hope your Summer there rivals with our Summer here. Enjoy. x
i have a few vancouver summer recommendations…..my favourite 3 days of the entire summer are the vancouver folk fest which is held on jericho beach. its incredible.
there’s also the celebration of light (free fireworks shows), car-free festivals (held all over town..always good photo subject matter there)! those are a few of my faves!
Oh Charlane :(
That is one good thing about teaching and photography, you get to be outside for part of the day!
Chantelle, the beach part isn’t going to happen but I’ll have to find other things to amuse me. There are beaches here but they are different to ours and I’m too much of a wuss to go in the water here- too cold.
Vivienne, ooh, I’ll have to check out the folk fest. Yes, I’ve been told about the Celebration of Light and am looking forward to it. Thanks for the suggestions. :)
If you get a chance to go to Southern Oregon, there is a local swimhole AKA The Best Swimhole river in America! Send me an e-mail and I’ll let you in on the secret spot, if you like swimming in rivers, that is…..
Also, Crater Lake is Amazing! The Redwoods in Northern California are prehistoric and magical!
Just a few thoughts. =)
I don’t get to do much in the summertime, but what’s really nice is ICED LEMONADE! Mmmmm it’s like a lemon slushy. I try to get one in every time I go to the beach.
There’s always:
- wreak beach, for tanning in the nude!
- Cultus lake, it’s very close and not too cold. If the water is too chilly, there’s always the waterslides across the street! And ice cream! And local produce!
- There’s walking along Steveston, which is kind of fun in a touristy way.
- There’s rollerblading on the seawall
- There’s a kite festival in White Rock during the summer…
- Bard on the Beach!
- Playland! (though it’s best to go in rainy weather. I’d rather be damp and having fun than getting sunstroke in otherwise long long lines.)
I’m sure there’s plenty more, but as I said, I don’t get out much!
I live in the interior, so I usually head towards the coast on my road trips, but if you’re looking for pretty places to drive, I recommend heading back up the Sea to Sky to see Whistler in the summer, and doing the same for Victoria. (I recall your recent post on Whister, and I think you’ve mentioned heading over to Victoria. But you should really go back when there are meadows filled with flowers.)
In terms of a road tripping, and a tiny bit further afield, a weekend in the South Okanagan might be lovely: the vineyards are beautiful, the wine tasty, and it’s HOT. In July. Not now. Ahem.
Heck, even just taking a day to drive up the Fraser Canyon and then back over the Coquihalla would be fairly impressive (and a cheap stand-in for the Rockies).
Funny that you mention the light. I grew up in Canada, and my very first tropical experiences were in Australia as a teenager. I remember being so off kilter at night until I realised what was going on: warm-but-dark nights were just not something I’d ever experienced. It was one of those rare moments where I realised that I had a bias that I didn’t know I had.
Sarah Ann, I have never swum in a river but it sounds like fun!
Melle, ooh what a great list! Thanks for those wonderful tips. Yes, I hear Wreck Beach has the best sunsets in summer.
Reagan, thanks so much for those great ideas. I’d LOVE to go to the Okanagan- it looks beautiful. Coquihalla is one of my favourite words! Yes and I’m excited by the fact that my summer nights won’t be spent tossing and turning trying to get cool. Apparently it doesn’t stay above 30 degrees at night here…who knew?! hehe
Mmmm… summer. Farmer’s Market’s, smoothies, gelato on the patio and walking on the beach… Man, I can’t wait for summer.
Vancouver has a decent amount of things to do in the summer. Lots of music festivals (folk, jazz, etc…). The Car-Free Sunday’s are pretty awesome too, they’re like big neighbourhood parties. This summer I’m hoping to go and do some camping on Quadra Island with my fiance’s family. I’ve also heard the Salt Spring Island is nice for a weekend get-away.