summer
resolute.
sand
beach
swimming
the scent of suntan lotion and cigarettes.
mosquitoes
camp
friends
new crushes and grand loves.
boardwalk
stolen kisses
toes exposed and elbows out of car windows.
ice cream
fire hydrants, open, and everyone screaming in the street under its wide arc of spray.
shorts
sleeveless
stickyness
sunburn
cool sheets
late nights
porches
lemonade
sweet cocktails and sweating beer bottles.
grills
BBQ's
wood
singe
sizzle
marshmallows, melting
coal
dry twigs arranged like a tee pee, and set afire.
bonfires
ghost stories
camping
canoes
fishing
salads for dinner and watermelon for breakfast.
sleeping in
sunsets taking forever and skies as bright as a broad smile.
lobster
raw clams
Italian ices
zeppoles hot and oily and white and sweet.
hide and seek
cicadas
fireflies
okra
tomato everything and corn on the cob.
reflection
memory
remembrance
solitude.
wading
clamming
boating
sailing
surfing
being tossed and turned by waves before a storm.
lakes
ponds
sunshowers
rivers
docks
diving
sparklers alive and fiercely hot, for just a moment.
fireworks
gunpowder scent
oohs and ahhs in the dark, and then quiet.
figs
ferries
islands
adventures
play
long hard sleep and dreams of picking blackberries.
blueberries
pie
cobblers
buckles
galettes
whipped cream.
nectarines and basil
mint and peaches
plums and rosemary
nepotella infused in cream for bright ice cream.
home
heart
love
loss
grief
change
transition
betwixt & between then and now and tomorrow.
travel
spontaneity
secrets
cherries
simple cakes and floury hands.
Coney Island!
grandparents
bikinis
hot nights
hanging out on the stoop until the wee hours.
J U L Y.
Summer!
full stop.
HAPPY july!
so funny to see this post, it resonated - e is going to shake shack for lunch today, lucky dog. we are off to maine for some lobstah this wkend. come visit us! nyc is missing you too.
love, melissa xo
Posted by: melissa | 01 July 2008 at 10:13 AM
Yeah - got the ice cream this time!
Happy July.
Posted by: MK | 01 July 2008 at 12:44 PM
What about the fire & grease? With the lead in of sun, beach, suntan lotion? There's the smell of grease floating about, the one where you can get yourself the "burger & fries" on the beach? The smell of the grill!
mmMmMmMm, grill.
Biggles
ps - I don't use RSS feeds. I just 'know' when you post.
Biggles! you kill me. you kill you.
added! amended! thank you! xo ~ Shuna
Posted by: Dr. Biggles | 01 July 2008 at 04:46 PM
This represents July very well. The only part I don't like is cigarettes. And that's just because I don't like them.
Victoria.
Yes I hate smoking too, but you Must know, especially from being in Long Island, that no beach in NY is complete without boomboxes, cigarettes and loud drinkers. whether we like it or hate it, they make up the landscape and thus the collage of the experience. ~ Shuna
Posted by: Victoria | 02 July 2008 at 05:00 PM
And No.30 on the tattoos!
(sunscreen)
Posted by: Natalie Sztern | 02 July 2008 at 05:53 PM
You're so right on: cicadas and
fireflies. That's my childhood, every summer, summed up. I can still conjure up the cascading whirs of cicadas in my mind's ear, if I try. It makes me oddly sad. I miss the sounds of the east in summer. And I miss fireflies too. Thanks for a beautiful post. Lisa
Posted by: lisa schiffman | 03 July 2008 at 01:13 AM
It was 8pm last night when he said "let's get the creek boat and go for a ride"...it was magical. And it was much needed since I was being very nostalgic of my summers back home. It was a new moment to make me appreciate what I have now and make me appreciate his southern summers. Loved this post and the enthusiasm it carries!
Keep meaning to tell you that I love the new header!
Posted by: Tartelette | 03 July 2008 at 03:23 PM