Lens-Artists Photo Challenge 104: Summer

06Jul
by Oh, the Places We See

Just the smell of summer can make me fall in love.

Anonymous

Perhaps it’s that old song that begins “Summertime, summertime, sum, sum, summertime . . . ” or the smell of lake water, inner tubes, and homemade ice cream — summer makes most people fall in love. And this summer, even in the midst of a pandemic, is no different.

Wanna float a stream in the Smokies? Well, line up, rent a tube and board the bus. Nothin’ says summer quite like the smell of wet bathing suits and sunscreen — and memories of floating with family and friends!

  • Waiting to go tubing in Townsend TN
  • Dad waiting to go tubing in Townsend TN
  • Floating downstream in Townsend, TN
Summertime tubing in Townsend, Tennessee

I love how summer just wraps its arms around you like a warm blanket.

Kellie Elmore

For us, it wouldn’t be summer without a week in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. One short week, to be exact. When we worked full time, we used beach week to sleep in and enjoy the night a bit longer. Now, in retirement, we have a new-found joy: we move slowly, cup of coffee in hand, out to the beach to watch pre-dawn grayness give way to the pinkness of dawn. Early rising is not just something we say we’re gonna do someday. It’s now a real joy.

Just before sunrise, Pawleys Island SC
Watching the mystery unfold, we stand on the beach letting the waters overtake our feet.
Golden sunrise, Pawleys Island SC
A summer sunrise — South End, Pawleys Island, SC


Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.

Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty

And who can resist summer flowers, even if you do have to water them each evening when the heat can be blistering? Just watching them drink in the goodness as they glisten at sundown makes all the planting, feeding, mulching, deadheading, and watering worthwhile. After all, it’s summer and everything we bought in the spring is now in full bloom.

  • Lamb's Ear 2020 sams
  • Limelight hydrangea 2020
  • Angel Wing Begonia 2020 sams
  • Hosta 2020 sams
Flowers in full bloom, Summer of 2020

 And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Many thanks to Amy for hosting this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #104: Summer. It was fun reliving some of the joys of Summer 2020. For more posts with this theme, head to her beautiful site — The World Is a Book.

Enjoy your summer!

Rusha & Bert

25 thoughts on “Lens-Artists Photo Challenge 104: Summer”

    1. Oh, the Places We See

      Thank you so much. It’s hard to beat nature in the summer for color and activity. Hope you are finding some fun things to do even in these tough times. A look at natural things helps me a lot!! Appreciate the comment.

      Reply

  7. JohnRH

    Excellent. Very well done. Love the tubing photos. I could use a cool down, as it’s in the 90s this week in Colorado. Beautiful beach photo at Pawleys Island. Superb.

    Reply

  8. kzmcb

    Oh you’ve got me dreaming of summer, or a very long drive to where it’s hot. And only one of those can happen soon, so stay tuned.

    Reply

  9. Amy

    Rent a tube floating down to a river, how fun! Beautiful summer flowers. The sunrising is absolutely beautiful! Thank you, Rusha for sharing. 🙂

    Reply

It makes our day to hear from you.