It is impossible to take a picture of a sunset without it looking fake. I still keep trying.
Day 124: Sunset in Hannusjärvi
Category: Outdoors
Day 123: Seaside Picnic
Food tastes better when eaten outside.
The nearest “beach” to us is just a quick hop away. It’s a secluded little strech of sand, and you can’t get there with a car. Consequently, it is often pretty quiet.
With the weather being great, we went for a picnic on a whim. We grabbed whatever we fancied from a store and cycled to the “beach” for a few hours of games, snacks and scenery. The girls even waded to the water, but it was still way too cold for a swim.
Best night of the week.
Day 122: Finnish Baseball
As a kid, I loved Finnish baseball (pesäpallo). It’s quite different from American baseball – most notably, because you pitch the ball up, not across.
So, when I came across a set of used pesäpallo equipment for kids at some sale or another, I did not hesitate for a second.
The girls’ success rate of actually hitting the ball is still low enough that we can practice in our backyard. I do not expect that to last long.
I would still love to pick the sport back up myself, but unless you are part of a fairly serious team, you can only really play in summer. And in summer, there is so much else to do.
Day 111: 10,000 Photos
Our summer cottage has been in the family for longer than I’ve been alive. I have spent every summer by this same shore. Some little things have changed, but very little.
I got into photography in 2008. Since then, I have probably taken 500 images every year with this same scenery as a backgroung – often even from this very same spot. That’s nearly 10,000 photos.
And it is still worth taking just one more.
Day 110: Summer Cottage
Swimming, boating, fire-cooked crepes, sauna, bbq, hammering, hand-picked wildflowers, ice cream – long days outside and never-ending bedtime giggles.
A perfect day for little people.
Day 109: Not Quite the Midnight Sun
In a few weeks, the day will be at its longest in Finland. Stuart struggles to sleep in the light, but I have no problems. I love the long evenings. It feels like you gain a whole new day after working hours.
Even when the sun sets below horizon after 10pm, it doesn’t actually get dark anymore. This image is taken at 23:55.
Dusk.
Day 103: The First Is The Best
The first ice cream of the summer!
Well, of course,we have had ice cream in the past months. Actually, in the past week. But not from an ice cream kiosk. (At least, not most of them. A mall kiosk does not quite count.) And we had not eaten any outside. (Almost none) And nothing in our T-shirts, with the sun shining.
Hard to explain why, but this was definitely the first ice cream of the summer. And it was great.
Day 102: When The World Turns Pink
A few years ago, Stuart and I took our bikes on the metro to the opposite side of Helsinki. It is a great way to find some new interesting routes, instead of riding the same routes over and over again.
Anyway, on that day we stumbled upon the biggest pocket of cherry trees in Helsinki. It was the peak blossom time, and the park was phenomenal.
This year, when I saw the cherries are blooming, I decided to go back with a proper camera. But, as it so often happens, I got busy and waited a few days too long. I managed to catch the blooms maybe on the last day they were still properly pink. The sunnier batches of the trees had already turned green.
I’ll try again next year.
Day 97: Waiting to unfurl
The leaves and ferns in the forest are about to unfurl. The transformation is fascinating every year. It goes from spring to early summer in just few days.
Day 96: Gentle Walk
Alanna is still recovering from her cold. And I am still working long hours.
Luckily this time of the year means the sun is still high when I end my day. Good time for a gentle walk to the seashore.
Blue Moment 