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Ecuador Solstice, Solstice on the Equator, Summer Solstice, Weekly Photo Challenge - World through your eyes, Where is the noon shadow on the solstice?, Winter Solstice
The sun peered majestically over Quito Ecuador on the summer solstice!
Quito, Ecuador – Every equinox and solstice remind me to stop and ponder where I am on the planet, where I am in my life’s journey, and to consider how all of us play our roles on this beautiful planet in this beautiful solar system. Someone mentioned this past week that the sun is straight overhead (at the equator) during the summer solstice. I didn’t challenge their statement, but made a note to mark the sun’s position at high noon. Not being at home, this was much easier to record than the end-of-day images!
While critiquing the sunflower painting, I noted the strong mid-morning light and shadow when a surprise visitor ambled into the scene! After a fun photo session, I focused on painting!
10 a.m. solstice visitors!
A sense of high noon awakened me from my painting trance, and I hurriedly checked the computer to see the time: 11:59! I dashed inside, grabbed an apple, sliced away the bottom, placed the apple on the white plate, impaled the knife as straight UP as possible, dashed outside and took the photos!
Creative Sun Dial!
How appropriate was it that I had been ‘cleaning up’ the black lines of the sunflower?! This post also addresses the Weekly Photo Challenge. Here is the summer solstice through my eyes with the added bonus of a precious unexpected visitor who stole my attention!
High noon on the equator!
I have stumbled upon a fun option to the end-of-day photos for the solstice and equinox! For a more-traditional solstice post, see last year’s solstice photos from Cruzita Ecuador: (2012 Pacific Solstice)
Miss Nasturtium, my equinox sunshine companion!
Happy summer – or winter – solstice to all of you! By the way, if it’s summer solstice in the northern hemisphere and winter solstice in the southern, what is it called on the equator? I truly have no clue! Maybe if one is located just south of the line, it’s winter solstice and just north it’s summer, but what if one straddles the line?
🙂 Z
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
and a happy summer to you! =)
Thanks! As you can see, the light and shadow are great here, though it gets a bit too cold for me here in the Andes!
Z
OK that just confuses everything doesn’t it!
I was in Pedernales yesterday… does that mean I can still claim summer as mine?
Ha! You are definitely a summer solstice kind of person!!! Lucky you to have crossed the line of the equator twice on the day of the solstice! That’s surely a bonus of some sort!
I’m thinking of the coastal areas with the ‘super moon’ being so close to the planet this weekend, I hope that the high tides leave El Matal alone.
Z
Thanks for your wonderful posts, they truly make my day.
It is now only 38 days until we leave to begin our Third Life in Pedasi, Panama. We have already rented a house there and if you are ever going to be in Pedasi, we will have an extra bedroom that you would be more than welcome to use.
Just email me for our phone number.
That is SO KIND of you! Thanks so much! My good friend Barb lives in Panama City, so my path takes me through there every year or so. I’m way overdue a visit. I cannot place “Pedasi” in my mind’s eye, but am about to educate myself!
Thanks so much, and enjoy your countdown to a new life! I look forward to hearing more!
Z
Reblogged this on The ObamaCrat.Com™ and commented:
I am falling in love with your post & images. These photos are almost magical and divine all at once.
thank you so much! ecuador is a magical country!
Yes It is. U R showing me that with each post.
Creative Sun Dial …. exceptional idea. You hpoint out some very interesting things to look up. The little girl – —Miss Nasturtium – precious. I could hug her she’s so cute.
Nice post and entry for the challenge.
Isadora
She is an adorable little princess who walks around in her authentic indigenous garb! She is quite irresistible!
Love your sun dial and your little amiga. Happy summer solstice.
thanks! my only frustration of living on the equator is that the sun sets at 6-ish year round. i’ve an hour left of sunlight, so i’d best get back outside after this fast break!
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I looked at your most ingenious sun dial and the shadow is not directly overhead but to one side. it puzzled me for a moment.The experiment showed sadly that your friend was mistaken. I’m told the solstice occurs when the sun reaches it’s highest or lowest point in the journey from one tropic to the other. (You already knew that anyway) So the shadow you recorded would be the longest midday shadow you will see. it will be directly overhead the equator at midday on the equinox 20th March and 22nd September. I hope you can repeat the experiment then.
The photo with the apple and knife in the middle of the sunflower was lovely. Perhaps you could make a sunflower sundial, that would look good too. The photo of little miss Nasturtium is gorgeous.
Now what would you call the solstice when at the equator?? How about the equatorial meganox – because it is the longest night of the year at that point for both winter and summer solstices.
Tony
what great feedback! yes; at my house i began recording the sun’s shadow on the balcony wall and regret that i was not there to record the sun’s final resting place before it began its trek in the other direction. there will be more years to confirm that it’s right where it should be – or that we are right where we should be! i hope that i’m home to confirm that the sun will hit the same spot as the march equinox …
my house at the pacific coast is due west from where the apple sundial was photographed – great for future knife-in-the-fruit tests. i look forward to comparing shadows at high noon whenever the whim hits!
I believe at the equator the correct term is simply “June solstice”, since it is neither winter or summer.
I adore your young friend – so cute!
“June Solstice” – how very correct that would be! Thanks!
Yes, the young friend and her mother stopped by last night, and she is adorable! three years old!
z
Don’t ever straddle the line! Fun stuff!
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Love the sun dial! Well, I just love sun really but you have to take what you can get in this part of the hemisphere. 🙂 Happy solstice to you too, Zee.
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The suggested equatorial meganox sounds interesting. Tonight we are watching the supermoon. As for the sun, we didn’t see much of it today 😦 but certainly more than we have done for days (since before the winter solstice). The sunflower and Miss Nasturtium are gorgeous.
beautiful and inventive even if there are issues with sun/apple/knife/day. Well done.
Love the sundial! Now, I have two questions for you. Did you try standing an egg on its end during the summer equinox? It really works. Years ago, we did it as an experiment in my high school English class and wrote stories about it. Remarkably, it stood on its end for 21 days. We were trying to break a Guinness Book record, but it fell just short of a day. 😦 The other question is: South of the equator, is it true that the toilet flushes in the opposite direction? These are crazy things I wonder about. lol
What a great post! The sunflower is very lovely! So is little Miss Nasturtium! Hugs to you Z! – B
She’s precious! And your photographs and paintings too 😉 happy solstice to you too Lisa 🙂
thank you! yes, she is a precious little girl! it’s been a productive week! thanks!
OMG your visitor is so cute!!! Great photographs – she is quite the model. Happy Summer Solstice to you!
she is a precious little 3-year old! i’ve taken countless photos of her this past week!
enjoy the super moon tonight !
Cute! 🙂
welldone!
Swummer? Winsum? Swimmer? Beats me! Great shots! Cute sunshine companion. 🙂
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Very quick thinking on your part Lisa. No one that I know could have pulled the experiment off so quickly and elegantly. Bravo. ~James
ja ja! thank you! i thought, ‘what can i get to stick straight up in a hurry? the right brain clicked, thank goodness!
z
I love your visitors’ photo!
A warm, beautiful and vibrant Summer. A child’s smile reminds us of the many happy days of Summer anytime, any day. Thanks.
little miss nasturtium is precious, isn’t she?
thanks so much! happy summer!
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I love your involvement with the equator & solstice – it’s more of your connection to the earth. Nice idea – as is often the case, you blend education, whimsy, and aesthetics into a delectable dish.
Mother nature has spoken or should I say Z. has spoken such wonderful words to make us all think of others where ever we are. Time can become irrelavent when we know we are a family on this earth. Have a great weekend! regards, James.
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Hey Lisa. I hope all is well with you. Are you staying there for the holidays? FYI, I gave you a plug and put a link to this post in our most recent post on the solstice. Happy Holidays. ~James
http://gallivance.net/2014/12/21/solstice-2014-let-the-celebrations-begin/
thank you so much! the notification came through with no problems, but getting to the wp posts today is a dead end road/detour.. will keep trying, but thanks so much – i am sure your post is filled with great images and trivia about this special day of the year!
feliz navidad!