Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Settling In for the Summer

Two days after the big 4th of July weekend. Traffic in our little town has increased to a ridiculous degree, stores are more crowded and prices are up, all the signs of the tourist invasion are present. I guess we are more or less resigning ourselves to Tourist Season once again, and the tired old joke: "Why do they call it Tourist Season if we can't shoot them?" has made the rounds as it does every year.

The locals are aware, of course, that it is the tourist who keeps our economy somewhere near a reasonable level. But we are already looking forward to Labor Day, when we can reclaim the peace and quiet of our more relaxed existence in our low key town.

The big weekend seemed more quiet than usual this year. Word was out that the police would crack down harder on illegal fireworks. That was a relief for some of us. I heard a few in the neighborhood, but not nearly so many as in past years. They are a concern in areas where homes are close together on small plots and rockets go whizzing over rooftops.


I make it a rule to stay off the roads and close to home on holiday weekends. Just too much hassle for the old lady. This was me. The handle of the spade is deceiving because I don't do much digging these days, but you get the idea. I am pleased with how the garden is coming along. Can't get out there and do weeding or stay in the sun too long, but I've convinced myself now that it isn't going to be the end of the world if I don't pull out all those weeds. Things will manage to grow and bloom without the attention I used to give them. In recent years I have put in some perennials that now do not need much more than watering. So far as annuals are concerned, sunflowers don't require a lot from me, and I planted a lot of them. I do have to laugh at the squash. I don't even know for sure what types of squash they may be. I'm sure some are pumpkins that found their way into the garden space when an old jack-o-lantern was left there, and some may be the little ornamental ones. Whatever they are, they took off like a house afire, and were crowding out everything else until I got rid of some of them. Gorgeous big blossoms though.


While I was staying quietly at home, on the other coast my family was taking off for camping in Big Sur - also to escape the noise. In California fireworks are legal, and in their neighborhood they are set off all day and all night long. They chose the peace of mountains and beach.




When my grandson wasn't busy stealing the hammock from his mother,





or flying a kite with his dad,








he was enjoying the sand and the water.



Ooooops!



Obviously, I did not take these pictures. Either my daughter or son-in-law took them. You may see some of them appear on my daughter's blog as well. But she is a busy lady, and doesn't get around to posting too often these days. I'm just very grateful that she does take lots of pictures, and puts them up on flickr, so I get to enjoy their activities vicariously.


So - the summer season begins. I longed for it during all that spring rain. Now I am looking forward to autumn. Just can't be satisfied with what is here and now. I really have to stop living in anticipation, and enjoy today!

18 comments:

Daryl said...

Go out and sit in the shade for a bit and admire the beauty of a day without rain (at least til evening)and that garden looks lovely ..

Isaac falling over in the chair is a true keeper!

kenju said...

Bobbie, we should all try to enjoy each day - who knows what tomorrow will bring (or not).

Kathie Brown said...

bobbie, your comment about the tourist season made me laugh! I hope you survive it all.

dianasfaria.com said...

we didn't get much noise from the fireworks either, it was a relief, especially for our dog!

Ramblings of a Villas Girl said...

I have been anticipating Labor Day, fall and winter since spring. Not only are the roads congested with tourists, but lets not forget the mess that the gas company is making. Lisa

Sylvia K said...

The fireworks weren't too bad this year -- enough to make the dogs nervous, but still not that bad. I have to admit I love where we are right now and look forward to the rest of the summer, but then I do have some fun things to look forward to with some fun short trips and my kids coming for my birthday. The picture of Isaac is priceless! Enjoy your garden, it sounds lovely!

Deborah Godin said...

There's a lot to be said for garden plants that can "thrive" on a bit of neglect! We've been lucky here this summer, didn't get too hot right away in June, and now nice sun with unusually low temps and humidity is forecast for all of July. I just hope we don't parboil in August! Nice to see your photos from both coasts!!

Celeste Maia said...

What an interesting blog you have, I have just "found" it. Your concerns are universal. I live in Madrid where it is burning hot and filled with tourists. I could not get out of there fast enough. Drove to a little place, perched over the Atlantic, windy and isolated, no tourists anywhere! Heaven! Books and music and walks with the dog, what more could I want? I am a painter and children's boook writer so lots of time for that. I just started a blog less than a month ago, so I am still learning and stumbling along. Whenever you feel like it, come visit "my" world.

Crayons said...

I'm glad you found a quiet and safe way to celebrate the 4th. It just doesn't seem like you to shoot a tourist :-). Re: looking ahead. I have the same habit, always looking forward instead of being here now.

Dawn Fine said...

Great photos your daughter sent..looks like they were having a blast.
I hope you have a grand summer!

Angie said...

Nice yellow cuddles! Thanks for your visit,know what you mean about tourists.

Hey Harriet said...

I think I need to also stop living in anticipation and enjoy today! I'm always looking forward to the next season when it's hotter, colder, less wet, less dry...never appreciating the current weather. That exact weather I was wishing for only 4 months prior! Happy gardening! Don't worry about the weeds. Make weeds your friends and learn to love them. That's what I do :)

Michele said...

I don't mind the summer as long as it isn't scorching hot but it seems as it has come starting off exactly like that here! WHEW!

An amusing post... I really enjoyed it!

KG said...

My home town is a big tourist attraction. Come to think of it, so is the city I now live in. Anyway, back in my home town, I remember waiting in my car at a traffic light for it to turn. A tourist stepped off of the curb - and walked directly into my car. He then looked at me like "Woah - there are cars here?" Umm .... yeah.

Dianne said...

I love the "oops" photo!!

Karin Doyle said...

I enjoyed reading your blog but haven't figured out where you live because when I went to your profile my computer protested. we are hosts is a remote primitive campground in the High Uintahs and I'm 72 and am getting too old to fight the mosquitos and erratic satellite connection. We have set up our own dish and have a new modem which seems always to be rebooting and I cuss a lot at the computer. I used to live in the East and would love to go to Cape Cod after Labor Day when the tourists left.

Celeste Maia said...

Thank you for visiting my blog and for your kind words. I also wanted to tell you how much I like Antonio Machado's poetry, "caminante no hay camino...se hace camina al andar".

LauraHinNJ said...

Glad you survived the *invasion*

;-)