For this Friday night of Summer Solstice, we decided to have a summer picnic at IUPUI.
Ashley found a wonderful, historic spot in Ball Garden.
The original concept for this Sunken Garden was to be a therapeutic greenspace for nurses and their patients.
The statue of Eve in the calming fountain is surrounded by brick walkways and beautiful trees.
We found a protected spot under a nearby tree to set up our summer charcuterie.
Sun Tree cherries and Strawberries, Sun Chips, Sundried Tomatoes, Fresh Honeycomb, Dill Havarti Cheese, Smoked Gouda, Mixed Olives and four types of Salami made a beautiful spread.
We also had fresh baked honey cakes, Flower Garden Pinot Grigio, and Elderflower Lemonade.
Ashley had lovingly baked the honey cakes that morning with Lavendar Honey and her own mix of spices.
The wine was poured into bee glasses and placed before yellow flowers, mulberry branches and oak leaves.
Ashley brought vibrant blankets to serve as a cozy seat for our meal.
This year has been particularly wet, and even on the first day of summer, we had rain.
Our tree mostly protected us from the droplets as we supped and talked.
The grounds of Ball Garden were beautiful and quiet at this time of evening.
In honor of Litha, we lit candles to the four directions and burned away things that had not served us this spring.
We released these things and opened ourselves to the energy, light and healing of the longest day of the year.
After our picnic, we rushed over to the symphony to be a part of history:
The world premier of the Deathly Hallows Part 2 being played live by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
We were so honored to stand before the performance to indicate we had attended ALL the films.
As the movie opened, the dark scene set a pall over the next couple of hours.
It is the darkest of the films, but with glimmers of hope.
"Happiness can be found even in the darkest times if one only remembers to turn on the light."
The Battle of Hogwarts is both heartbreaking and encouraging as we are reminded to stand up for what is right,
cherish those you have with you today, and remember it is never too late do to the right thing.
We almost didn't want the movie to end.
We have grown so accustomed these last 3 years to have another concert date on the calendar - no matter how far away it may seem.
We really hope they start again with the first film.
The music was inspiring as always and we had the best seats in the house to watch it all unfold.
The longest day of the year seemed to end too soon as we left Hilbert Circle Theatre and headed for home.
But we know that even if this series is truly over, "Hogwarts will always be there to welcome us home."
Magical twin night!
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