Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Tuesday, 9/17


I’m now sure that summer has REALLY ended.

I took advantage of the nice weather yesterday and snuck down to McCarty’s Cove to walk for a few minutes on the beach. When I got there right just before noon I was confronted by a sight I don’t believe I’ve ever seen before.

The beach was totally empty.

I stood one end, looked down over half a mile to the other end, and did not see one single soul. The sun was out, it was nice & warm, and yet I was the only person on that entire beach.

THAT’S when I knew summer was over.

As I was walking down the beach with my toes in the water, I tried to contemplate the enormity of the situation. I mean, every other day I went down there this summer, there were people around. Now  admittedly, I usually like to go down there in the morning, when it’s not quite as crowded as later in the day, but there were ALWAYS other people there, people probably just like me, enjoying the warmth, enjoying the peace, and enjoying the water.

But yesterday? Nope. I was as alone as Tom Hanks in that middle part of “Cast Away”. There was not a single person on the beach. Heck, there weren't even any people illegally letting their dogs run free now that the lifeguards aren't around, as usually happens this time of the year. THAT'S how empty it was.

Admittedly, this was just after the voluminous fog of yesterday morning had cleared. So maybe that was the reason why. And as I walked down the beach in solitude, I started to notice a few things, like how some of the trees along the shore had leaves turning red, or how a flock of birds appeared to be flying in a southerly direction. It seems like it was just a short time ago that those leaves popped out, and those birds were flying north. So maybe it wasn’t just the lack of people on the beach that signaled a change is coming. Mother Nature was trying to pass along the hint, as well.

By the time I finished my walk, a few people had popped up on the beach, ready to enjoy their day. But, as it always seems to this time of the year, that got me to wondering—

Have those people noticed summer is coming to an end, too?



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