Summer Sensations

Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer. I, for one, enjoyed the smoking hot summer we had in the south. Historically, one of the things I love about summer is that if you remove the heat and humidity, so many other sensations abound which also identify the season.

You know it’s summer from that undeniable smell of chlorine in the pool, fish at the lake, salt of the ocean, sunscreen (do people still use sun tan oil?), freshly mowed lawns, and the aromatic smoke from BBQ grills.

It sure feels like a summer day when you go strolling through the grass and push your toes around in the morning dew. What a blast it is to take a walk in the late afternoon, feeling the sun beaming down on your head and shoulders with hot earth under your bare feet.

It looks a lot like summer to see plants and gardens in full bloom, friends with bright red sun burns, peeling skin, or deep Caribbean tans. My all time favorite is the sudden illumination of a lightning bug on a warm summer’s evening.

You can sit out on the porch and enjoy a concert of insects and night creatures frolicking, fighting, hunting and mating.

As a southerner, I don’t know if it gets any better than eating vine ripe fresh tomatoes or juicy watermelon with friends and family

As the autumnal solstice rapidly approaches, I must confess I don’t believe you have to be a kid to love summer.

Live lively.

Tom