Don’t tune out summer yet

Posted 8/20/13

This is a lament – summer is winding down. This week is the last full week of school vacation. Elementary schools, seventh graders and high school freshmen start next Wednesday and classes resume …

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Don’t tune out summer yet

Posted

This is a lament – summer is winding down. This week is the last full week of school vacation. Elementary schools, seventh graders and high school freshmen start next Wednesday and classes resume for all high school students the following day.

And somehow, even though there will be many more summer-like days before the onset of fall, once those yellow buses are back on the road and routine settles in, summer fades quickly.

So, how can we best savor the last of summer before it is a memory?

We suggest a visit to the beach to watch the sunrise or, if you’re more of an evening person, catch a sunset and the first appearance of stars. Conimicut Point and Rocky Point are both good for the sunrise. Goddard Park, especially if you walk the trails out to the point looking west into Greenwich Bay, can be rewarding at sun down. There are still a few public summer concerts to enjoy – check the city’s website – and don’t forget the farmers’ markets. Again, you can check it out on the Internet by turning to the Department of Environmental Management website.

But you don’t need to spend a lot of time on your computer to take in the waning summer days.

Turn off the air conditioning.

Drive with the windows down.

Celebrate the serenade of crickets and the early chorus of songbirds. Savor the slower pace, as it won’t be the same next summer.

It’s too soon for a 2014 summer forecast, although the Farmer’s Almanac will attempt it. We can offer one forecast with certainty – the summer of 2014 won’t be as tranquil.

Why?

It will be an election year. The contest for governor and statewide seats will be in high gear and if there are primaries, which surely there will be, lawns will be dappled with signs and the candidates will be walking the beaches and stalking voters at farmers markets, concerts and other outdoor events. Newscasts and newspapers will be filled with rhetoric and there will be a steady barrage of political ads.

It will make for a different summer experience.

For now, enjoy the low volume … and don’t tune out summer too soon.

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  • Michael2012

    I like election years. There is some thing about that freedom that many other countries don't enjoy. furthermore, I welcome the end of summer. Summer is filled with high temps, tropical humidity, bugs (that carry diseases), droughts or floods, hurricanes, kids home from school (no peace), to name a few reasons. I really don't get this obession people have with beaches, sun burns, and west nile and lyme disease. Thankfully it is September and although it is still really hot out eventually it has to cool right? I mean Republicans tell me global warming isn't real. But I'm confused because frost comes later every year and most months out of the year are above the average temperature and we never seem to have record cold waves any more.

    Thursday, September 12, 2013 Report this