"Let her go..." ~ Jane Eyre

One of the hardest aspects of the days at the end of August is letting summer go. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to live in an eternal summer spot, such as Key West, but then I feel a pang when I think of all the joys the other seasons give me. Still, letting go of summer is hard on the heart for many reasons. Here are mine...

~ Peaches: There is no better fruit in the summertime than the peach. I like them when they are just a tad overripe because that ensures a real juicy mess when you bite into it. I had one on the beach the other day and just let the juice slide right down my chin since I knew I would be swimming in the water momentarily; the peach inspires a pleasure for messiness. I also love sucking on the pit for a little while after I am done eating the flesh of the peach.

~ Sand: Jack has had two visits to the beach so far and has hated the sand. I think his skin is just so soft right now that the sand irritates him too much. Still, I know he will grow to love sandy beaches just like his family does. I love digging my toes into the sand when I sit on the beach in my popsicle beach chair. It is soothing to the bottom of my feet and I do love the clamminess of the wet sand by the shore and how it surrounds my entire foot after a wave comes in. The other day there were very tiny mussels digging into the sand; it totally fascinated me and I poked at them like some kid. I become quite inspired to try and go clam digging/mussel digging next summer out east.

~ Weber Grill: I hate covering up my charcoal Weber at the end of September with a thick green covering and then placing it on the side of the house. So many great meals are made on it in the summertime, including Shish Kebab, and the smell of charcoal burning is comforting to me. I miss grilling in general when the summertime has ended. Just last night Ed made lobster on the barby for dinner; it was the perfect texture and the spindles had a great grill flavor to them.

~ Flip Flops: I admit I have a few pairs to many, but I live in them for the most part during the days of summer. My favorite pair this summer was from Ann Taylor Loft: a sea green with butterflies on the sole. It is always an awkward moment for my feet when I place boots on in the Fall.

~ Rose: I don't drink Rose except for the summertime. Two nights ago when I dined with J.Sarah, her mother, and her brother at OTTO, I had the Bastianich Rose. It was so crisp and delicious with a darkish pink hue to it. I made the Rose sangria twice and hope to make it once more before Labor Day Weekend is over. Ironically, I drank more Rose than I did my usual summer wine: chardonnay on the rocks with a shot of peach schnapps.

~ Soleil: I admit that I am a sun worshipper and bow down to Ra. I can sit in the sun all day slathered in sunblock and never be unhappy. Shade is overrated when its not humid. I think the sun is the hardest thing to let go of in the summer for purely scientific reasons based on the chemicals in the body and the UV rays.

~ The Times: I read The Times each Sunday morning, but once I go back to work, it becomes a rush job. The process of reading it outside all morning and half the afternoon while slurping iced coffee shall soon be on hold until next July. Now, its going to be just mornings with work waiting after the read.

Other aspects I shall miss are showers after a beach day, hot ballgame days at Yankee Stadium, Root Beer Floats, wearing white sandals, alfresco dining in NYC, the sand pile in the back of my SUV from my beach chairs, the Blackeyed Susans in my yard, bees flying everywhere, Jack in swimmytrunks, summer reading, margaritas, mornings with Em, T, and Boz, carefree crossword puzzle sessions for hours, my bathing suits, Tropical Colada body spray.

As sad as summer ending is, it would be nice to hear what others miss the most when the summer winds begin to fade...