Mixed Emotions

Days like today make me wish I could stay here forever!  The air is clean and crisp, the sky is cerulean blue with a few wispy clouds, the tide was out at the perfect time of day (late morning to early afternoon) which made for the perfect walk on the sandbars and I had enough to do to keep me busy but not too much that I was stressed or exhausted.  This would be the day I would like to put in a bottle and take home with me and take out when I need some cool, fresh, beautiful air!  I will probably also want to take this day out of my secret bottle on Saturday when Hurricane Dorian is scheduled to arrive up here.

The perfect sandbar day!

 The season is coming to an end and it is with a bit of sadness that I will say goodbye to another summer at Amherst Shore.  How does the summer fly by so quickly?  A question for the ages.  As I mowed the lawns at the cottages this afternoon I noted how much I prefer September mowing to June mowing.  In June the ground is soft and sometimes muddy.  The grass is new and wet which means it clumps up and looks almost worse after it gets mowed than before.  Today the grass was dry and blew away as soon as it shot out of the mower.  The ground was firm and I left no ruts with the wheels as I sped along!  It made me think how many other things are almost better later in the summer and if only we could all be here together to enjoy them.  No mosquitoes, no black flies, mass quantities of produce in our garden and plenty of time to enjoy everything.  Oh wait, I guess if everyone was here now, I would not have all this time...never mind.  I do miss them though.

Today was special in many ways. Aside from mowing!  The amazing blue skies have given me a new passion for my camera.  I have taken to driving around and finding old barns to take pictures of and hidden treasures along the roads.  This place is full of them, they are around every turn in the road.  Today was no different.  TJ sent me up a road he cycles regularly and I did find a few treasures.

The sky is so big here!

Maybe a few repairs are needed...

Risked getting hit by a dump truck for this one...
worth it!

After the walk, the drive, and lunch I went over to my parent's cottage.  My parents are here, by the grace of God, for another summer.  None of us thought they would make the trip this year, but they are very determined!  There is something about this place that makes all of us do crazy things.  We will get here come hell or high water.  They are in their last week here and Dad needed a haircut.  I was called to duty.  Now I am no professional, not even close, but for some reason they trust me to cut Dad's hair..and beard.  Maybe decision making is one of the first things to go when you get older.  I am not sure how close you are or were to your father but cutting your Dad's hair and beard is an intimate experience, at least it is for me.  Tonight, after the fact, I sat and thought about it and remembered that 9 year old Lisa wanted to be a hairdresser.  I wondered if those hours spent watching my mother get her hair done at the beauty school and teaching myself to cut hair was training me for this moment.  Today was the second time I have cut my father's hair in the last year and it has "gotten" to me both times.  Not sure how he feels about it all, but to me it is such a personal and intimate experience.  One I am sure I will treasure forever.   Yeah, it was a good day.

TJ and I went out to dinner, a rare occasion up here.  I had my annual fried clam dinner with a coconut cream pie chaser.  More calories than I need in a week!  It was so worth it!  Ok, I'll go for a run tomorrow.  We delivered take-out to Mom and Dad and raced home in time to see an epic sunset.  I have my priorities.  The sunset went on forever!  It started at 7:45 and the sky was still pink at 9:30!  On the sunset scale this one was close to a 10!  I really should make a sunset rating scale.. how long did it last, color, cloud quality, variety of colors, how much of the sky lit up, etc.  We sat and watched  until we were both too chilly and had to go in for warmer clothes.  I pinch myself when this happens...in September!  Never in my real life would I need warmer clothes in September or witness such a beautiful sky!

Panoramic sunset!

As if the whole day wasn't perfect enough, the whipped cream on top of the coconut cream pie was the bonfire to finish the night.  My husband loves bonfires.  I like them if the conditions are perfect. Meaning, the wind is not blowing the smoke into my face, there are no mosquitoes, it is cool enough to warrant a fire, I am in the right mood, I did not just wash my hair, I have no big plans tomorrow, and I just watched the perfect sunset.  OK, so maybe I am a little picky about bonfires.  Anyway, we had a good one tonight!  Icing on the cake, whipped cream on the pie.

Snap, crackle and pop!

The point of this is, it will all be over in a little more than a week.  The fresh air, the cerulean blue skies, the walks on the sandbars, the photo ops around every corner, the beautiful sunsets, my parents being here for what may be their last time, Thursday night bonfires, riding around on a lawnmower for hours, spending time with friends and family EVERY day, hearing the quiet, appreciating simplicity, walking or running along the shore road in the "air-conditioning", filling the vases in my house with colorful fresh flowers every week, sitting in my sun room any time of day, being able to go out the back door and harvest deliciously fresh produce out of the garden, and so many other things that make this place the most special place in my world.  So, it is with mixed emotions I was able to enjoy one of the (many) best days of the summer.