Sunday, July 02, 2006
The Seasons: Summer
A Summer Song * World Cup Soccer
"Hey hey, hey, come right away
Come and join the party every day.
Take a vacation, fall out for a while,
Summer's comin' in, and it's goin' outa style
Well, lie down smokin', honey; have yourself a ball,
Cause your mother's down in Memphis, won't be back 'till the fall.
Come and join the party every day."
©The Grateful Dead
Two days before July 4th, here in the San Francisco Peninsula there are still pockets of green in the foothills. A reminder of the late rains and unusually cool temperatures. We have had a few days when the thermometer hovered around 100º F (apprx 38º C) but mostly the temperature remains under 90º F. Around 6 P.M. a breeze begins and the evenings turn cool.
Berry Creek Falls
©musafirYesterday, on a hike in Big Basin Redwood Park I found the Buckeye trees full of white clusters, some beginning to turn brown. Berry Creek Falls still flowing well but the upper falls---Golden Cascade and Silver---have lost force. The holiday weekend brought large number of visitors to the park; it was difficult to find parking space. The campgrounds were full.
Red Hibiscus
Hibiscus blooming in my yard. Tomato plants (Early Girl) looking strong, still some weeks away before tomatoes ripen. Thai chilies have began to appear. All the herbs---thyme, oregano, marjoram, sage, and lavender doing well but I haven't had any success with basil. Snail bait has failed to prevent them from destroying the basil as they emerge. The keffir lime (dwarf variety) has done better than in previous years. It is full of fragrant leaves.
The World Cup
My favorite team, Brazil, is out. Defeated by France 1-0. The ageing Zinedine Zidane again showed his mastery of the game. England lost to Portugal 3-0. Following the game, Beckham gave up his captaincy, and the coach, Sven Goran Eriksen, will retire without the crowing glory of World Cup victory. With Brazil and Argentina out of the tournament, Germany is in a good position to be in the final.
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