Journeys›Photograph

Backyard Bonfire on a June Evening

·#summer#michigan#backyard#bonfire#party
A back view of a house at dusk with illuminated windows, a green lawn, patio furniture, and landscaped gardens.

A backyard bonfire tonight, at a house that backs onto a lake — the yard steps down from the deck through rock gardens to a pergola right at the water. We got there while there was still daylight, white chairs pulled into a circle on the lawn under the big deck umbrella.

As it got dark the whole yard came on: torches along the garden beds, candles set out on the rocks around the little pond, strings of chili-pepper lights on the pergola that repeated themselves in the lake. The fire went into a copper bowl on the patio and stayed lit long after dinner, with Corona bottles collecting on the table next to the pillar candles.

By the end it was down to one person on a chair by the fire, everyone else back up inside, the house glowing all the way across the lawn.

A young woman with brown hair smiles, wearing a brown tank top and beaded necklace, with candles and flowers in the dark background.A blurry evening photo shows a fire pit burning, with soft-focus plants and a large blue tarp structure in the background.Three lit candles in glass holders and two empty beer bottles glow in the dark, with a person visible to the right.Bright flames illuminate a metal fire pit filled with burning wood and glowing purple embers.A brightly lit house at night, showing people in upper windows and an outdoor patio with umbrella on a dark lawn.Bright flames illuminate a dark garden pond surrounded by rocks and green plants at night.A person sits by a bonfire, a tiki torch, and daisies under a lighted pergola at night, with water reflections.A person sits by a fire pit and tiki torch under a lighted pergola, with flowers and reflective water at night.

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