Monday, June 10, 2013

Why I love summer ~ My Column from the Newspaper

I love summer flowers too
I love summer and all it implies, but summer’s been shy this year. Each time I thought my old friend sol would make his debut, rain came.

I read that we’ve already gotten a year’s worth of rain in the first five months. At one point when I guessed that the time was right, I went to the farmer’s co-op and spent a pirate’s pension on grass seed and fertilizer. 

I worked for hours preparing my back yard for a much-needed facelift and then sowed the seeds. That night we got four inches of rain. Now our garden, which is just on the other side of the back yard fence, looks like a putting green at Augusta the week of the Masters Golf Tournament.

I reseeded it again and now all the young grass is coming up where it’s supposed to.

Working in the yard can sometimes be frustrating, but it’s one of the things I love most about summer. 

But sitting here on the back porch tapping away on my laptop, I got to thinking about all the other things I love about summer. I think my favorite destination this time of year is the beach. So what follows is a list of the top-five reasons I love the beach.

The sights – A liquid emerald ocean that’s as warm as bathwater, is a visual feast. I know I’ll catch some flack about this, but I’d have to include the sight of women walking around in bathing suits that have less fabric than it would take to make a small hat.

The sounds - There is something about the constant rumbling of the surf massaging the beach, and the sound of seabirds fussing at each other over a crab or sea snail from a conch shell.

Beach treasure - I’ve found incredible things walking down the beach. I’ve found a copy of Jonathan Livingston Seagull that looked as thought it had never been read. I once found a puka-shell necklace. I also found a six-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer that looked as if the owners had left in a hurry.

Sandcastles - I’ve never been very good at sculpting sand, but being good is not a prerequisite for building sand art. One morning just after daybreak, Jilda and I were walking on the beach and found what appeared to be the face of an angel on the beach staring up at the stars. The tide was coming in, and we stood there for a long while watching the waves gently erase the face. We walked away in silence for a long time before Jilda said, “That must have been the face of someone who was truly loved.” I had to agree.

The smells - I know this is a holdover from my teenage years, but I can’t smell Coppertone Suntan Lotion and not think of the beach. In those day no one had ever heard of the sun causing skin cancer. In fact, most people would have scoffed at the idea. 

The smell of freshly cooked seafood is like a promise, of something good to come. One of my all-time favorite meals is fresh gulf shrimp, fried, baked, broiled, battered, buttered, or spanked (I just made that up.) But I do love my fresh seafood. And I love the beach in summer. 

What do you love about summer?

9 comments:

  1. I love that I don't have to wear a coat... I love wearing sandals and I love when I get a chance to go strawberry picking;-)

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    Replies
    1. We'll be picking blackberries soon, but you wouldn't want to pick them in sandals :)

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  2. I love swimming in the pool and going outside without a coat!

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  3. I love all of the above but mostly watching the waves and especially when they crash on the rocks. I mostly think of what they bring in with them, where they have been. I love the smell of salt in the air.I like to walk between the rocks and find treasures. Like in Miami Beach there was one man who came to the rocks every morning with a little green bird on his shoulder. He would let a little fish go and take a fresh fish from between the rocks. These little fish lived there.Every time I go there I see the same man, older now, still doing the same thing.No one touches those little fish.You saw the same pelicans flying across the sky early every morning and a senior with big paddles on his arms, slowly making his way across past all the hotels. Everything went one way, every morning.I never saw anything return the same way.
    It made you feel like you came home with everything staying so familiar.

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  4. I love so many of the sights and sounds of summer, Rick. When I smell Coppertone I am immediately transported back to being a youngster in the 60's.

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  5. Anonymous11:33 PM

    I LOVE the ocean--both the smell & the sounds it makes. I love to see it change from serene to stormy & all the personalities it shows!!

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  6. Oh YOU know...THE BEACH! Is it a southern thing? Love the beach, love the ocean, love to sail, swim and walk along the salty water's edge!
    Hugs!

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  7. I love air conditioning during the summer. When Favorite Young Man was a lifeguard at a lake in a state park, he found all sorts of things -- jewelry, nice sandals, multitudes of beach towels, girls, and more girls.

    Love,
    Janie

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  8. I love the longer days...working indoors I crave some fresh air and sunshine and having it hang around after I'm done working is the best...I love cooking out...campfires...fireflies...July 4th...mowing the lawn ( really do like doing that!)..fresh veggies and fruit...not wearing a coat because I have to cram one in my locker during the winter and it drives me nuts!

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