All Summer Long

This isn't the first time I have written about the Summer Solstice Parade in Santa Barbara, and it certainly won't be the last. It is a sunshine-soaked Santa Barbara tradition that is absolutely the most unique experience that anyone can attend. In Celtic mythology, summer solstice is a day to make wishes and then let go. The parade is just that: a wish made on a summer day, visualized in may colors and dimensions, arising from the heart and soul.

The heart of downtown Santa Barbara is transformed from the Spanish-style business district into an explosion of color and music filled with illusions and imagery, creativity on steroids, beating back the "June Gloom" that can envelope the area.

This year, look for the car from Gilligan's Island. If you have an extra bottle of water, find the small slit in the side about eye level and press the bottle through (they'll thank you for it, trust me). Clap when they go by and tell them I love each and every one of them.

Summer Solstice is a celebration to manifest your wildest dreams. Today, as it is with many days, I dream of Santa Barbara, my family and friends who are there, the times of my life spent there and the times yet to be.