What’s another word for summer? I say, “Fun!” We’ve thrown back the blankets of winter, lived through another fickle Virginia spring and now the glorious, in-full-bloom season of summer is upon us.
Some of my favorite summer reminders are the sound of ice in tea (the official beverage of Southerners), the aroma of fresh-cut grass and evenings with the songs of locusts everywhere. Mother Nature is at her best with the pageantry of trees in full leaf, gardens bursting with color, welcome breezes, dramatic sunsets, even those cooling summer rain storms captivate me with their unleashed beauty.
“Family” is another word for summer. Summer is vacation time, beach time, picnic time, roller coaster time and time for all those adventures that have become tradition to families when everyone can be together. From the earliest stages of planning to actually being there, vacations take us away from our routines to worlds of newness and discovery.
We live in the ideal area for summer pleasures. We’re right here in History-land, making summer the perfect time to rediscover our past. Beaches and waterways are everywhere we turn. Outdoor concerts, lawn parties, family celebrations, visits from cherished friends and long walks along the shore are summer callings that we yearn for on cold winter nights. And here they are!
I wish you the very happiest of summers this year. Find your flip-flops, pray that last year’s bathing suit still fits, grab a good book and spend the afternoon in a hammock, listen to the songbirds, or just sit in the sand somewhere and watch the sun set over the water. Summer unfolds sensual, restful pleasures that can only reveal themselves when the days are bright and the air is balmy.
