Here on the south shore of Beluga Lake, a sure sign of summer comes when those big float planes rev up, flying visitors off to faraway magical parts of Alaska. Round about early July, every morning it sounds like an aircraft carrier launching a sortie when the bear viewing tours take off.

A more subtle harbinger of summer comes when thousands of violet-green swallows swoop down on the lake to feed on mosquitoes. Holy Hellcats! Like fighter planes screaming through the air, those swallows dip and dive, sweep and soar, gobbling up skeeters by the mouthful. With their iridescent green backs, their blazing white bellies, flights of swallows dance over the lake in a swirling tornado of feathers.

We can find enjoyment enough in nature come summer. Keep your eyes and ears open for many marvels. New moose calves show up daily, big, gangly critters you can't imagine growing into huge graceful beasts -- a reminder to keep your dogs tied up so they don't chase the calves. Black and brown bears have begun cruising the 'hood, on the prowl for tasty snacks. Every day brings a new bird song, like the flute-like trill of the hermit thrush or the squeeze-toy squawk of the olive-sided flycatcher.

We're full bore into the season, with so much to do you need a Cray supercomputer to keep track of your social calendar. Plays, new galleries, concerts, workshops, oh my. How can we fit it all in?

The answer: You can't. It's summer. Expect to be disappointed and miss a few cool things. Now you know how New Yorkers feel. Seize the day and grab the good times, because there's so much going on even the Betster gets overwhelmed. They're all Best Bets, like some of these:

BEST TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN BET: Swallows aren't the only predators going after little blobs of protein. Stickleback fish also prey on copepods and other plankton. Learn about the whole cycle when visiting biologist David Heins speaks on "The Host-parasite Relationships of Stickleback Fish in Alaska" at noon today at the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center. A brown-bag lunch talk, it's sponsored by the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve.

BEST FABULOUS FIRST BET: Homer's art scene keeps getting better and better, with yet another new gallery -- that would be Hotel Bravo -- opening on Pioneer Avenue. See what Homer artist Hannah Baechler has done with the old Fringe building. Don't forget the other wonderful galleries downtown and in Old Town. Openings start at 5 p.m. and run until 9 p.m.

BEST WRITER'S REVENGE BET: If you've ever written a story, you know how sometimes your characters take on lives of their own. What happens when they take over the story? That's the idea behind "That Darn Plot," the new Pier One Theatre play. Directed by Carolyn Norton and Nathan Lander, it opens at 8:15 p.m. Friday, with shows at 8:15 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Don't panic if you can't see it this week. "That Darn Plot" also shows next weekend.

BEST LITTLE DOGIE BIT: Kachemak Bay's cowboys have rounded up their cattle and driven them down to the Fox River Flats for the summer grazing. If you've always wanted to see the head of the bay cowboy style, take a horseback ride starting at 10 a.m. Saturday with Kachemak Heritage Land Trust to its Barefooters property out at the back of beyond. Mark Marette of Trail's End Horse Adventures leads the trip with his horses at $85 a person, or bring your own horse for $40. Call 235-6393 for reservations.

BEST TOOT SWEET BET: Want some amazing plants? Get in line ready to go by 11 a.m. Saturday for the Homer Garden Club's annual plant sale in the Homer City Hall parking lot. You'll be picking over slug-ravaged rhubarb if you're not there at the opening, because the best plants go tout suite, as the French say.

Homer's Best Bets