Shades of Summer - It's all about the Sun

A metal art sun hanging on my patio.

Summer is only a few days away. Those hot, sultry days languishing in the sun. Feet in the sand and sipping a Tequila Sunrise. Doesn't that sound fabulous?

Well, here on the Florida Gulf Coast it has felt like summer for the last month or more. Hot sunny days, tropical breezes, sugar-white sand and warm Gulf waters. And yet we haven't even reached the official start of summer.

A copper sun on the weathered cedar fence.

This morning I got to thinking. What does summer mean to me? Yeah, that sounds just like some grade-school writing assignment. Hmm! I guess summer is all about the sun. A sun so intense you have to wear sunglasses when stepping outside. A sun so hot that shade is a welcome entity.

A sun hidden by vines.

I grew up in Southern California where the sun shines pretty much 365 days per year and where it feels like summer almost every single one of those days. I was always barefoot, except when I had to go to school. When the dismissal bell rang I'd slip off my shoes and run barefoot all the way home.

I had a year-around golden tan back in those sunshiny California days. I practically lived at the beach. I spent hours lazing on a beach towel and consuming one great read after another.







A painted pottery sun on the cedar fence.

Yes, summer for me has always been about the sun. So maybe that's why a variety of suns grace my yard? A metal art sun hangs from the lattice-covered patio. More suns hang on the weathered cedar fencing. I guess you could say I love the sun.

I hope you'll stop back from time to time to read more of my 'Shades of Summer' posts. You won't want to miss the next one about 'Hot Summer Reads.'

Lovely Lavender

Lavender Azaleas in my yard.

I live in Florida, so this time of year my yard is a floral rainbow of color. The most recent to bloom are lovely lavender azaleas with fuchsia colored centers. Each bloom has the exquisite look of an orchid. Of all the azaleas in my yard, I think these are my favorite.

I enjoy painting. A favorite subject of mine is florals. I love the challenge of mixing my oils to get just the right shades of color. Lavender appears in my florals, seascapes, sunsets and landscapes. Yes, I love painting in shades of lavender.

More of my Azaleas, in a lovely shade of lavender-pink.

These lavender azaleas bring to mind my growing-up years in Southern California. Now how is that? Well, I've noticed that every phase of my life is represented in one color or another. My childhood just happened to be highlighted in lavender. My bedroom, from the time I was a small child through my teen years, was all in lavender with a touch of turquoise here and there.

Lavender? You see, my mom decorated my room with a lavender shag carpet, a lavender bedspread on my twin bed, and a lavender swag lamp over my bed. I don't recall if my mom ever asked me if I wanted a lavender room. It's just the color she chose for me and so it became a part of my life for all my early years. All I can say, it's a good thing I happen to like the color lavender.

For those who follow my blog, I write color posts from time to time: "Seeing Red" (1/24/13 post), "Passionate About Purple" (2/16/13 post) and "Think Pink" (2/20/13 post). So if you happen to have a passion for colors, please stop by from time to time to see what colors I write about next.

I also happen to be passionate about books. So this is the perfect time to provide a list of Lavender Fiction. My favorite lavender book is The Long Lavender Look  (Travis McGee Series, #12) by John D. MacDonald. See my 11/1/12 post, "Florida is a State of Mind," for a list of all the Travis McGee books in order of publication. I've read through the whole Travis McGee series and am looking forward to reading them all again. I still think every one of these books would make a great movie. Anyway, it seems to me that lavender reads would be just as exquisite as my lovely lavender azaleas.

Lavender Fiction (in no particular order):

The Mystery at Azalea Plantation (Lavender Series) by Lavender Lace
On Lavender Lane (A Shelter Bay Novel) by JoAnn Ross*
Lavender Vows (Medieval Herb Garden Series) by Colleen Gleason**
Lavender Morning (Edilean) by Jude Deveraux
Loving Lily Lavender by DeAnna Kinney
A Sprig of Lavender by Susan Ralph
Lavender Lies (China Bayles Mystery) by Susan Wittig Albert
The Lavender Principal (Reid Devron Mystery) by Julie Baythorpe
Lavender Fields by Marie O'Byrne
Lavender Skies by Tony Ivers
Lady Lavender (Harlequin Historical) by Lynna Banning
Lavender Aurora - Destiny of Life by J. F. Ellington
The Lavender Maze (Walcott Manor) by Florrie Boleyn
Lavender Love by A. J. Estes
Lavender by Annemarieke Tazelaar
The Lavender Field by Jeanette Baker
Lavender Lady by Carola Dunn
Lavender Secrets by Sandra Barret
Lavender Road by Helen Carey

*I have this book in paperback, but haven't read it yet.
**I have this one on my Kindle Fire, but haven't read it yet.

Please feel free to add any of your favorite lavender books in the comments below.

Before I forget, I happen to love the fragrance of lavender. I remember lavender sachets from when I was a kid, in addition to baskets of dried lavender at the county fair. When I lived in Las Vegas, I grew lavender in my garden and loved the fragrance in the warm desert air. Come to think of it, lovely lavender has always been a part of my life.

Note - If you love azaleas, please see my 1/30/13 post, "In Florida it's all about the Flowers," for more of my azalea photos.