Approaching sunset

We were out on the boat for Saint John's Eve, which is the night before John the Baptist's birthday. It is celebrated in Scandinavia as 'Sankthans dag', with bonfires lit along the coast once evening approaches. It is believed that the bonfires were originally lit in order to keep witches away. The day is celebrated right around the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. The summer solstice is also called Midsummer, and the bonfires may be celebrating that as well. When I first saw the bonfires in the early 1990s, it seemed like something out of a pagan ritual. Interesting to witness, for sure. But when we were out this past Saturday evening, there were very few bonfires, and the few that we saw seemed to be placed in deep pits, not on hills as was the custom earlier. It was a windy evening, and the weather has been mostly dry and warm the past two months, which has created forest fire conditions. People have been asked to be careful about using grills and lighting bonfires/campfires generally. So that was probably the reason for the very few bonfires. The evening was beautiful, and I took a couple of photos from the boat. In the second photo, you'll see light rings around the clouds nearest the sun. Pretty cool.

Sunset at sea

Also taken from the ferry on our trip back to Oslo from Copenhagen......I love the path the sun makes on the water. Ever since I was a child, I have always wished I could walk on those paths toward the sun. Those thoughts have formed the basis of several poems that I have written over the years.

Sunrise, sunset and oh, the moon too

All in one day---today's sunrise, sunset and a moonlit night. The sunrises and sunsets recently have been gorgeous--such vivid colors. I've got to work on getting better night shots; this was the only moon picture I managed to get that was sort of decent. But I'm working on it. I'm loving my camera--a Canon EOS 500D. But I'm still using my Fuji FinePix at times--got some nice photos with that camera too. I wish I could say that I understood everything there was to understand about digital cameras these days, but I don't. I usually just point and shoot in auto mode. But eventually I'll get around to a deeper immersion into the world of digital photography, maybe even take a course or two. Right now, I'm just having fun.

Sunrise 

Sunrise a little later

Still sunrise

Moving towards sunset

Moving towards sunset

The sunset reflected in the windows of this apartment building makes it look like it's on fire from inside.

What a sky!

Remembering summer

Out on the Oslo fjord at sunset--a lazy day this past September when it was still warm.