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Summertime in the BelgradesContentsfor Printing
Article Summaries |
Return Of Summerby Esther J. Perne
It all begins with a tug at the heart, this season that so transforms our part of the world. The summer birds arrive, then the snowbirds. Green advances cautiously, then bursts forth out of control. The heating bills dwindle. The remaining woolens get tucked away hat by scarf by mitten. And, we are free. No matter the official start date of the season, no matter even school schedules, summer is when you can stroll without a shiver down the street eating an ice cream cone, when you can linger by an outdoor bulletin board and browse every last announcement, when you can window shop long enough to spot the price tag and figure it out backwards, sideways or upside down. Summer is when the to-go order can be consumed outside the vehicle, when sidewalk displays, yard sales, and on-your-honor roadside stands open, and when there are frequent sightings of fishing addicts, rod in hand, climbing hopefully down an embankment or leaning over a bridge.
Summer is a mindset of memories recalled: slow-motion sunsets, passersby exchanging open smiles, a bird nesting, the same employees working in the same seasonal businesses ever since you can remember, or the next generation working in the same seasonal business that has been there ever since you can remember, visitors and vacationers who have no doubts they have found heaven, and water views everywhere. Summer is a time of appreciation (aren't we lucky to be here!) and stewardship, a tradition linked to the original natives and to the original settlers, whose descendants guided — literally — the fishing, wildlife, water and wildlands resources that have made this such a desirable, beautiful, safe region Summer is a return to paths once taken, to back roads, to well-traveled thruways, a return to old haunts and to haunts that satisfactorily replicate other times and places that we can't return to. With summer there is a thankfulness for the familiar and the changeless: the smell of camps and seasonal businesses unopened all winter, the perseverance of nature, the influx of activity on the lakes and rivers from a few brave souls to a lot of happy souls, the ebb and flow of life, the bare feet. With summer arrives the world of small, simple, controllable choices: hold the cookout indoors on a rainy day, bring the napping baby along in a backpack, don't call the kids in until dark, do absolutely nothing and feel good about it, or join the go-go trend of the times and take in all the great, glorious activities of the season — the festivals, the art shows, the parades, the music, the dancing, the fun. The return of summer is a reward simply to be enjoyed.
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