I wonder if that is what is happening. Are many making the most of this waning summer? I know I become more conscious each day that this late arriving and much savored summer is coming to an end. The days are already shorter. The nights are cooler. Like the child out of school and dreading September, I want to hang onto each shred of my precious summer. The balmy evenings, the easy-going mornings enjoying the kinder summery breezes, even the cloudless skies have warmed my bones and brought a welcome relief from the long, cold, seemingly endless winter.
Yes, winter has its allure with bracing cold, crisp air; blankets of snow turning the simplest landscape into a wonderland; and cloud shows that provide inspiration for weeks to come. But, I never think to call winter charming or comforting. Spring invigorates me. Autumn makes me especially thoughtful. Summer calms me, bringing a kind of deep peace. Childhood memories? Probably.
These last few days are to be noted. Taken into account and stored in memory. I will need those images in my mind that first Autumn morning when there is ice where the daisies grew. Ah, well, each season has moments of being my favorite. For now, I am a summer girl through and through.
I was thinking about the end of summer this morning during my walk. I was nearly 6:45 AM and the sun was just cresting the horizon. Only last month, it was in that same place at around 6:00 AM. This morning brought cooler temperatures, around 68, and a bit of fog. If you look closely, you can see that some of the leaves are starting to turn. There's always a few ahead of the curve, though. :)
ReplyDeleteYes. We should enjoy the last few days for soon winter will overtake us, giving things a rest from their growth, and before you know it ... spring again!
I, too, love a nice summer day. The word "nice" is my qualifier here because I don't really like the extremely hot days. And summer to me is more of a time to contemplate things since I'm not (and never was) much of a vacation person.
ReplyDeleteI think there is plenty of summer left, so let's make the most of it.
The image, by the way, is really nice. Playing with the overlays again?
Paul - Oh, my, it does slip away from us so quickly. Of course we never know about September here. Could be mostly summer, could be mostly fall. It is a bit of a grab bag. I am just reveling in each day and storing up the good summer feelings. Before I can blink, we will be in the dead of winter.
ReplyDeleteKen -Amen to that sentiment. Brutally hot days are not inspiring. Add sticky humidity and I am ready to escape to cooler climes. My love letter to summer was not fully honest, I suppose, since we are in the mountains and this is more like a warm spring.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you like the image. You are correct. I can not resist the call of those texture layers. Each day, I seem to become more deeply involved in that way of seeing.
From Las Vegas, NV, the temps can go down 20 notches and will not be missed. Summer here is to be endured, not relished. Now autumn from late Sept to early Nov. is usually enjoyable and I am looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteIt is all about latitudes and attitudes and showing up more as I age.
Hey! Summer is here until Sept 21! Although I have to admit, with the heat we have had this summer, I am pulling Fall in by a rope instead of savoring the days. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I'm ready for summer to end yet but I'm certainly ready for the weather to be a little cooler...maybe I can't have one without the other? :-)
ReplyDeleteAnita, you've become very accomplished at using textured layers and I'm certainly not tired of seeing the results of your efforts.
It seem like I have spent half of the summer waiting for summer to actually begin. Now that it is here I'm not certain if I'm using the time to it's fullest potential. On the other hand, we did just return from a week long trip to eastern Oregon and south central Idaho so all has not been lost for the summer of 2011!
ReplyDeleteSteve - If I lived in Las Vegas for just one month, I think I might not ever want to even hear of summer for the rest of my life. Those summers are brutal. I admit that I don't know how you folks do it. But, then I don't know how anyone survives winter in Minnesota. Let's face. I am a wimp.
ReplyDeleteYou said it so well: "latitudes and attitudes", but I am glad you added the age factor. Every year, I grow less tolerant of the temperature swings.
Mark - I got a big kick out of your "pulling Fall I'm by a rope". That is how I always feel about spring up here. I may steal your line. It is easy for me to "savor" our so-called summer when we have rarely seen temps above the high 80's.
ReplyDeleteEarl - Goodness, if we had that steamy weather you are enduring, I might not romaniticize summer.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the encouraging words about my use of textures. More each day, this feels "right" to me. I am finally beginning to feel that I am speaking with my own voice. I know that I am not the only one to use these texture layers, but I am discovering a way that makes them mine. This style of working allows me to shape images in a way that, oddly enough— considering the soft focus and overlays, allows me to "speak" more clearly.
Steve - Ah, someone else who had a long wait for summer. I think your trips would more than qualify for good use of a summer. Idaho is one of the states I have never seen any portion of. I hope to take that off the list in the next couple of years.
ReplyDeleteOne survives Las Vegas during the summer by getting everything outside done for the day by 9 AM, AC and growing a leather like skin.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes it is much like being confined to inside during winters in MN, but without the ice covered roads.
The wife and I have a set comfort point of 70, the plus/minus on that is dwindling as the years pass. Now at mid 60's it is about 15 degrees. Up in Utah we have woken up to low 50's in the camp trailer. It is my job to stoke the heater and get back under the down bed until it is at proper temps.
Steve - I think "proper temps" puts everything in perspective. Once, when I was in Tempe, Az for a convention, a local who had moved there from Minnesota told me that, yes, she found the midday heat intolerable, but it was better than shoveling snow. I will never forget that line. Yeah, 50 is well below my comfort level.
ReplyDeleteShoveling snow for me is firmly in the rear view mirror. That is where I draw the line. I promised myself that I would never again drive on icy roads, but that was broken when driving over to Denver for business. I must have looked like an Eskimo bundled up as I was.
ReplyDeleteSteve - I have to admit that Icy roads scare the wits out of me. I have almost no experience driving on them. In the case of business, I would be in real trouble.
ReplyDelete