It may not be a grand light that has a history of seafaring lives saved, it is just a humble light on a lake. Freshly painted and lit, beckoning the sunset as it turns to night. Guiding August out, and leading September in.
It is almost time for another day away, to wade in the cool Atlantic water and walk the sun warmed sand. To tip my face up to catch the late summer rays, and breathe in the salty air. To clamber over rocks and peer into tidal pools.To get ice cream or seafood chowder to eat waterside while we enjoy the waning summer days.
It seems fitting that the joyous paddling of an otter brings in summer. The longest day is upon us, the solstice, the midsummer madness that fills our evenings with mirth and companionship of all sorts. The last of the peepers, the cry of the hawks, the swoop of the dragonflies in the twilight. This moment seems to exist outside of clock time, dancing to a beat all its own, whether we join in or not.
I know summer must be coming even though spring never arrived. And thus, I am gearing up to do “things”: field trips, hikes, website updates, workshops, visits with friends and more. The season is fleeting even when it doesn’t start slowly, and I cannot afford to waste a moment. Old gears can be coaxed back into action, it is just a matter of effort and getting the rust off.
Memorial Day Weekend, heralded as the start of summer. It brings to mind long, lazy days spent in a hammock or row boat. it makes me want to be in a place where I can hear the cry of loons, the breeze sighing through the pines overhead, and the water lapping at the shore. Where a good book, cold drink and morning walks are the makings of a great day. Where at night a fire brightens the darkness below and the stars shine above. Both reflecting off the smooth water.
The last of the evening light is fading, it is nearly 7:30, sunset. The color has slipped from the sky, yet I linger on the deck, loathe to call it a day. The late summer night sounds are starting their prelude to fall, which is whispering through the leaves.
