Thoughts About Sun - Do You Live in a Sunny Place?

Yesterday's swim was glorious. The sun was rising as I swam, and the clouds scattered the new daylight into a light show of brilliant orange and peach shades with hints of rainbows on the sides. It was truly spectacular and one of the reasons why I love swimming in the outdoor pool. There's just something about being able to do something I really enjoy while the sun is rising that has always been a happy point for me. 

Obviously NOT my pool (we don't have palm trees or 
ocean views here in the Frozen Northlands). But the photo 
is very similar to yesterday's sunrise which started my day 
out on a really positive note. I'm hoping today will be just 
as pretty, and that the day will be just as excellent. 

When I was a child, my favorite time was the early morning hours before the world had really awakened and started the daily noise. I would wander down the row of trees my Mom had planted in front of our house and listen to the birds while the sun rose in the blue sky. There were a lot of blue skies in Colorado - it's a state known for the number of blue skies it gets in an average year. 

Colorado is known for its' blue skies and mountains - lots 
of mountains. They looked splendid when I was growing 
up here, but overpopulation, pollution and other stuff that 
comes along with being a popular state have pretty much 
ruined the beautiful views I had in Denver as a child. 

Colorado is the 6th sunniest state in the nation, preceded by Arizona, New Mexico (I lived here for several years), Nevada, Texas and California. Minnesota, on the other hand, is in the middle. Amazingly enough, December is our sunniest month, with June being our least sunny - I assume because we get a lot of rain in June. It makes our plants happy, but the people a bit soggy. 

In Minnesota, we celebrate all of our seasons. We have 
the annual Winter Carnival in Saint Paul during 
the Winter, and the Aquatennial in Minneapolis during 
the Summer. We love our celebrations and enjoy 
living up here. Despite its' problems, it is a great place 
to live. 

I like the sun - a lot. But with my skin and lack of pigmentation, the sun is not my friend. I wear a lot of hats and scarves and use a lot of sunscreen because I don't want to risk my tattoo (or skin cancer). I wear a lot of long-sleeved shirts and light-weight overshirts. I wear long skirts instead of pants because they are cooler and we're hot and humid up here. But I do get sunshine - I'm not closed in by clouds all the time which is a good thing because clouds are NOT my happy place. I'm not a rain, doom and gloom person. 

I would love something like this to wear in the summer 
months. I may have to check this one out. It's pretty, 
it has long sleeves and a relatively high neck, I could 
totally rock this dress. 

On that sunny note, I'm wrapping this up. It's a busy "day off" today with lots on my agenda. I'm back in the pool again in a little more than an hour from now and I can hardly wait. Every day is a new experience and a new adventure, so go out and experience yours! I'll be back tomorrow.