Welcome Summer!

The weather has been heating up of late! Wisconsin is a temperate state, with an average of four 90°F days per summer. This year, we are ahead of schedule, with two scorching days last week and two more predicted this week! I am not fond of high heat and the humidity that it brings; "Air you can Wear", they call it here. 

The heat brings challenges for my little home studio which is in the attic. The air conditioner works overtime to make it comfortable. No one feels like having headshots taken when they are drenched with sweat!  Fortunately, the 90+ degree days don't last long and we know that it won't be long before we can open the windows again. We wait a long time for summer in Wisconsin. All through the snowy winter, we dream of the warmth. It seems ungrateful to complain once it gets here! Once the long summer days arrive, they are packed with festivals and outdoor events. 

One Kenosha County tradition that returned recently, after a 2 year hiatus, was the Dairy Breakfast. Wisconsin is the dairy state and we celebrate our biggest industry every June. The local dairy farms take it in turn to host the event and, let me tell you, it's a big deal! This year, it was held at the Elfering family farm in Bristol. As well as families, 4H kids and the farm community, every politician in the area came out to press the flesh. For city kids, it's their big chance to pet a cow and climb on a really big tractor. 

I have photographed a lot of summer weddings over the years, including one just a week ago. You never know if the weather will be in the 90s or 60s, rain or fog or cloudless blue sky. It's one of the challenges of wedding photography and I think it makes each wedding a unique experience.  Fall is getting to be a popular time for weddings around here but there will always be summer brides. 

On the first day of summer, winter seems a long way away. It's hard to remember that, after today, the days will now get imperceptibly shorter. Let's take advantage of everything the summer offers: festivals, fairs, concerts and fresh produce. Every season has it's beauty and I'm lucky to live in a state with such variety. After the last couple of years, there is a sense of "normal" about the summer of 2022. Wisconsin is ready to party!