Monday Morning Musings

Posted on June 18, 2018 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

Waiting for summer

I step out of the car. I can smell and taste the salty air. I can see summer on the horizon.

It is possible that June is the very best month of the year if you are lucky enough to live in the Maritimes. June reeks of anticipation.

Who loves June more, a school teacher or a student? It’s a tossup. After the arduous grind of a school year, everyone is ready to bust down the school doors and head for the hills when the final buzzer sounds near the end of the month. The camping gear is aired out and dead flies removed from the tent. Many of you will head to Stanfest in a few weeks’ time to soak up the music and possibly get soaked doing it. When you’re on vacation, nothing can dampen ones spirit.

It is lobster supper season. Pretty well every weekend, a person can drive 30 minutes in just about any direction and enjoy succulent crustaceans, potato salad, fresh rolls and pie at one of the community run events. I love these. Even when there’s a big lineup, it’s not a hardship knowing the rewards for your patience. And you get to meet old friends and talk about the weather, politics, sports or your summer plans. It’s laid back. It’s oh so Maritime. Did I mention pie?

June is for brides and grooms. Weddings are anticipation on steroids.

With summer around the corner, people are planning vacations which could include a road trip to far flung places or maybe just a jaunt down to Whidden’s, one of the best camping grounds in these parts. It’s hardly roughing it when you can get a Wheel pizza delivered to your campsite or taking the three minute walk to their establishment on the Main.

Smores. Roasting wieners. A cold can of Keith’s. A singsong around a campfire. And blackflies. Now there’s a buffet fit for a king.

Family reunions abound. And high school reunions. I’m working with a group of former classmates of the former Antigonish High School who are planning a 50^th reunion in 2020. Fifty. How in the hell did that happen?

While all of these things are precious, just feeling the warm sun on ones face is such a joy after a cool, wet spring. Take time to enjoy the summer. Savour every moment. Tell stories (and a few lies!) and belt out the refrain of Barrett’s Privateers. Go to the waterfront in Halifax and enjoy the buskers and watch the massive cruise ships enter port. Visit a winery… or two.

Hike the Skyline trail or go trekking through the woods on one of our many fine locals trails like the ones at Keppoch Mountain.

Count the stars and count your blessings.

Embrace the day. Feel the wind and try to catch it. It is fleeting, like life itself. Put the wind in your sails and the pedal to the metal.

It’s summer. There’ll never be another quite like it.

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