Everyday Canvas

Summers!

Prompt:
Let one of these quotes inspire your quote: “Summer bachelors like summer breezes, are never as cool as they pretend to be.” ― Nora Ephron
or
"Summer means happy times and good sunshine. It means going to the beach, going to Disneyland, having fun." — Brian Wilson

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Summer bachelors? Well, the only summer bachelor I met--in the summer of 1965--I stayed married to until death did us part. I still think he was the coolest ever. So there!

As to summer meaning happy times, yes, that is true for most parts of the world. Where I live summer means getting fried by the sun and being served dry without the sides either. This means avoiding the sun or the beach even under an umbrella since an umbrella doesn't prevent a sunburn here. But this is my old disquieted self speaking. If I were to go back to my younger self, however...

I do remember many a summer fun of yore. Yore for me, because then, it was a different location. Long Island, NY to be exact.

Spending a summer at the beach on Long Island, NY, is a delightful blend of natural beauty, fun activities, and cultural stuff. One can surf the waves in Montauk--not that I ever did but I did watch the other surfers--and enjoy the beaches on Fire Island and the Jones beach as well as the smaller beaches of the shores up north, and browse the local farmers' markets and art shows, and delight in the music festivals.

I did try my hand at beach volleyball a bit, then, and played frisbee with my kids, then topped that off with a vibrant nightlife at the beachside bars that served fresh seafood. My husband went fishing with a friend of his a couple of times, but he found out that fishing wasn't for him. He said he didn't like to see the fish in pain, trying to stay alive at the hook. Other than that, he loved the Long Island summers, too, for we both enjoyed the warm ocean breezes and our long walks on the boardwalks on some of the beaches.

So, for me, where summer is concerned, "Those were the days"...and we "thought they'd never end," as the song says.