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Summertime in the BelgradesContentsfor Printing Article Summaries |
The Last Hurrah of Summer
By Esther J. Perne What will it be? A plunge in the lake, or a picnic in the park? A walk in the woods, or watching a sunset shimmer and glimmer off darkening water? Shopping for gifts among the region's many unique boutiques or gathering the gift of memories on a stroll along the historic, central Maine sidewalks and back routes? Action and activities from dawn to dusk or the fine and fading art of doing nothing? Those last, great, winding-down days of summer are here, dictated a little by the whims of weather and a lot by the schedules of school, and it's time for the many who love this region and this season to say so long. So long to summertime friends — old and new, to the warm weather lifestyle, to the seasonal businesses, to vacationers, to the lakes.
It's time to perform those letting-go rituals, of bringing in docks and boats, of bringing out dust covers, of securing shutters, of forwarding mail and, before taking off, it's time for a long, last look at summer. The summer of 2006 was unusually cyclical, a season of weather lows and highs, of wets and dries, of economic changes and challenges, of watershed concerns and successes. This beautiful region does not lie beyond the shadow of world turmoil, the urgency of invasive plants and algae blooms on our doorstep, the fragility of human endeavors in the path of nature. This beautiful region does, however, lie within the realm of hope, of individuals and families finding a simpler and more secure lifestyle, of towns and communities awakening to the protection and preservation of their natural/economic assets, and of dedicated individuals giving back in time, money and energy to this area from which they gain so much.
Part of that long, last look at the summer gone by is to recognize the lows and the concerns and the fragility of the region, and part of it is to leave with a new commitment to the summer that follows, for overriding it all dawns that perfect day — the clear, invigorating sunny one we all wait for, and relish, and carry around in our hearts as the last hurrah of summer. | |||
