Signs of summer

After a few cooler days this past week, it seems like the weather has officially switched itself to summer mode.  Upper 80's, blue sky, calm breezes, and intense sun.  And traffic.  And crowds. And sweating in places you'd rather not sweat.  We aren't complaining, though....well, we're trying not to.  We have learned through the years that to survive the summer, you have to learn to do most of your activities in the morning and evening, and resort to staying indoors during the hottest part of the day.  This is tricky when it is so beautiful out, but it is the only way.

Last night, Lisa and I enjoyed a beer on the deck and watched things burn in our old grill turned fire pit.  We roasted a couple of marshmallows and commented on how the bugs aren't that bad yet this year. Whatever chemical they are using, it's working!

We got to the beach for a bit this morning:

The water was a bit chilly to get all the way in, but it felt good on our feet.

Our dahlias are in full bloom and so pretty:

The zinnias are just starting to bloom and still need to get a lot bigger, but it will only be a matter of time before this garden is a sea of color.

Tomatoes are getting plump and are starting to turn just a little.  We also have some cute purple bell peppers growing on the deck.

And finally the biggest excitement has been our caterpillars!  We had three swallowtail caterpillars munching on our parsley and we were lucky enough to catch them in the process of metamorphosis.  Within a few hours, one of them went from this:

to this:

 We're not sure what happened to the third caterpillar, but right now we are watching these 2 cocoons with baited breath.  I love the little guide wires holding them on to the stem.  Soon we will have swallowtails flying around!  Who said there was nothing exciting to do around here?