How do you do, Summer?

June 21, the longest day of the year, and the first official day of summer. My favorite all-time long summer days were spent in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the 10pm sun was as bright and magical as a 5pm California sun. And when the days are espeically long, locals and tourists alike converge along the Neva River about 2am to watch the bridges go up, the boats and barges pass by, and the bridges go down. It's truly magical, these "White Nights", as the sun stays in a twilight trance for most of the night (and the guitar music from drunken musicians only add to the ambiance.) You can read a little bit more about it here.

{Ahhh...Petersburg}

Hmmm...what could be my Bay Area variation? Maybe next June 21 we can find ourselves sitting on a bench along the Marina in San Francisco, watching the sail boats and barges come under the Golden Gate Bridge. And perhaps we can stop by a Russian bakery on our way, to pick up some authentic treats to enjoy as we celebrate our American version of White Nights.

{The Marina, San Francisco, and the Golden Gate Bridge}