LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Summertime and the Living is Easy |
by Glen Pruitt |
Summertime has finally returned to the beach! Its true! Even though my calendar says that there are still another thirty days until the first day of Summer, every other indicator points to the fact that summer is here. Ive seen it. Ive heard it. Ive tasted it. And Ive smelled it. Ive seen it in the way that Rehoboth Beach is getting all dressed up in its summer finery. Weve put away the drab but comfortable winter clothes, and slipped into the fun and fresh outfits of Summer. Downtown buildings are boasting their new outerwear: fresh coats of paint. Store windows, their vision freshened with Windex, provide a glimpse into the souls of the merchants who have selected the merchandise displayed there. The city streets decorate themselves with garish silver accessories, as parking meters adorn the heads of the parking spaces downtown. Ive heard it in the revving roar of car engines as motorists sit at traffic lights on Highway One, eager to complete their race to the beach. Their impatience is echoed in the squealing of brakes as drivers find that elusive parking space within view of the ocean. Ive heard it in the cries of delight from small children seeing that dark blue ocean, that sandy white beach, or even the familiar golden arches of their favorite fast-food restaurant. Ive tasted it in the many delicacies that can only be bought on the Boardwalk. At least, if they CAN be bought somewhere else, these foods never taste quite as good as when they are eaten on that wooden thoroughfare with the summer crowds. Cotton candy, in hues of darkest blues or hottest pinks, paint circus clown smiles on the faces of children who eat them with reckless abandon. Funnel cakes unleash a flurry of powdered sugar as ocean breezes vainly try to remind us of Winter storms long gone. The summer diet is rounded out with caramel popcorn, salt-water taffy, and soft ice cream with multi-colored sprinkles, in complete defiance of any nutritionists idea of the basic food groups. Ive smelled it in the tantalizing scents of those treats in the evening air. The aroma becomes a bit more exotic with a whiff of coconut. This tropical touch may be thanks to a pina colada being sipped at an outdoor bar, or simply a lingering trace of suntan lotion worn by a sunbather in search of the perfect tan. Hamburgers being grilled over hot charcoals add their own sizzling scent to the mix. Yes, Summer is here. And Im glad. Summertime has more than its share of delights. Dont the words "Summer" and "Vacation" naturally go together? The two words were joined together in pleasure way back in our childhood, as the last ringing of the school bell set us free for three months of adventures, without the threat of homework and pop quizzes hanging over our heads. Even though many adults (particularly those who make their living in a resort town) arent able to take vacation in the summer months, the very nature of summer days seems different somehow. They seem ripe with sweetness, much like the strawberries that we pick in early June. Summer to me is also linked with the fresh vegetables that my family grew each year in our garden. We always had a large garden, and the whole family was involved in its care. In May we would till the ground, turning the dark brown soil over and over, preparing it to receive the seeds selected by my mother and father. My mother always had the first three rows closest to the road for her flowers: snapdragons and marigolds, and other flowers whose names I forget but whose beauty are clear in my minds eye. Next came the low-growing vegetables such as lima beans and peas. Later in the summer we knew that we would spend many evenings sitting on the back porch, shelling those beans until our thumbnails would be sore. It was a small price to pay to enjoy homegrown vegetables the whole winter through. Then came at least two rows of tomatoes, especially the "Big Boy" tomatoes that our elderly friend Mrs. North would pick off the vine and eat just like an apple. Then came a half-dozen rows of sugar corn, whose stalks provided a great place to hide from the suns rays (and annoying little brothers) in the hazy days of August. The back part of the garden was saved for the "spreading crops" of pumpkins, cucumbers and squash. All of my aunts and uncles had gardens, and since we rarely all planted at the same time, our gardens all bore produce at different times. Just as our peas were about done, Uncle Richards would start bearing, and we would be eating fresh peas for another two weeks. That was great, until you had also eaten peas from Uncle Nicks garden for two weeks, and then Uncle Franks garden for another two weeks. By the end of it, a fellow can get rather pea-ed off (Im sorry, but I couldnt resist!) Our large extended family sure came in handy when it came to summer cookouts. All the aunts, uncles and cousins on my mothers side of the family would celebrate the end of summer with Uncle Richard and Aunt Peggys Labor Day Weekend Barbecue. Since my mom had seven brothers and sisters, and since most of them had several children apiece, the crowd at this Barbecue was rather large. I had enough cousins that we could play baseball and have nine players on each team! Some years the sport would change. One year it was volleyball. Another year it was even croquet! Yet we always shared a lot of laughter, a lot of love... and a lot of food! Barbecued chicken with lots of fresh vegetables on the side (that almost goes without saying!) Dessert was Aunt Peggys homemade ice cream (which is a misnomer because Uncle Richard did all the cranking of the ice cream freezer!) Heres hoping that your Summer is full of wonderful sights and sounds, tastes and smells! Glen Pruitt is the Executive Director of the Sussex County AIDS Committee and is a regular contributor to "Letters from CAMP Rehoboth". |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 8, No. 5, May 22, 1998. |