Dog days of summer

I have to say, I’m not much of a fan of summer.  Too hot, too humid, really don’t like to spend time outside.  Even at the beach, I prefer the early morning hours and the time just before sunset.  Still, I have lots of fond memories of summer when I was growing up.

We spent almost every weekend down the shore at Grandmom and Grandad Balzer’s house – on Grove Point by the Chesapeake Bay.  Until they retired, the beach house had no indoor plumbing if you can imagine that.  Can you say outhouse?  Ew!  We were so glad when they installed the bathroom!  We slept in the attic – one big room with at least a half dozen beds – hot, but camp-like.  And you could hear the adults talking and laughing downstairs; it was somehow comforting.  It was miles from anywhere (we drove 40 minutes to get to church on Sunday), so we made our own fun.  The Point was pretty rustic – dirt roads, cottage-size houses, small private beach, woods – no stores, no street lights, no fences.  For a while, they even had a “party line” phone.

It was actually fun – we had the run of the neighborhood – a great beach to play at – lots of cousins around. We were related to so many people on the point; you had to ask questions before you set your sights on the cute guy you met on the beach! Daddy made the BEST barbequed chicken over an open fire. We often went crabbing and ate our catch on newspapers on Grandmom’s sunporch. Every summer the men of the point put up the pier from which we jumped, and crabbed, and where we hung out to catch the rays. The cliffs along the beach were mammoth to our younger selves, and constantly shifting with the storms. Every August, we had a “Grove Point Picnic” with a great barbeque and all those old-fashioned games like toss the balloon and three-legged race.

And Grove Point isn’t my only fond beach memory.  For quite a few summers, my girlfriend Maryellen and I got to spend a week with her aunt and uncle in Cape May, New Jersey.  Now that was a good time!  Hanging at the beach, playing games, walking on the boardwalk, shopping in town.  Maryellen’s aunt had an owl collection that you wouldn’t believe!  Hundreds of them!  (Knick-knacks, not live, LOL)  We took the ferry over to Cape May, which was pretty exotic, too. Great bonding time!

Summer at home was pretty care-free.  Hanging out with Maryellen and playing games (do you sense a theme here?), going to the movies or shopping on State Street in Media, taking Dad’s famous “drives to nowhere” and sometimes winding up at Indian Acres (a camp in the Poconos with a pool so cold it was ice-water!), playing hide-and-seek.  We took swim lessons and the boys played little league. Occasionally, vacations were extra special – the summer we went to Maine, trips to Wildwood, going to Niagra Falls (when the falls were “turned off” – the river had been partially diverted for some kind of repair work), day trips to the Poconos, Dorney Park, Crystal Cave, Amish country.

The sights… milky hot summer skies, sparkling wave action on the bay, little league games, Fouth of July fireworks.

The sounds… cicadas in the trees at the bay, the rattle of dice or clink of pennies as we played games (Grandmom’s Tripoli game was played with pennies in shot glasses), crashing waves when the ships went by, laughing.

The smells… barbeque, clorine, fresh fruit, honeysuckle, Old Bay seasoning.

The tastes… barbeque (gotta love it!), corn on the cob, cucumber salad, crab feast, iced tea, watermelon.

The feel… sand in your toes, rocks under your feet (Bay shore is rocky – no beach shoes for us!), sun on your face, cool water when you jumped in, cold ice cream on your tongue.

The vibe… relaxed, carefree, lazy, fun.

Ah, summertime…  I loved reading, spending the day on Maryellen’s front porch, playing with my baby brothers, going down the shore, taking long walks.  I loved barbeque chicken and corn on the cob and cucumber salad.  I loved the break from schoolwork; I loved swinging on the swingset.  I loved the neighborhood Fourth of July barbeque and summer vacations with the family. 

I just didn’t particularly like the weather!