Summer’s End Brings Bittersweet Memories Of Beach Days

99 days ago I welcomed the unofficial start to summer on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.  Now here we are with the unofficial end to summer as we head into Labor Day weekend and once again I ask the question, “Where did the time go?” It all begins with so much promise as the warm weather takes shape in June and you think of all the things you are going to do this summer, vowing to check off a list of things from days on the beach, concerts, vacations, outdoor dining options, trips to the boardwalk and many more.  Then as quick as you snap your fingers you’re getting the kids ready to go back to school and some of the items on your list and pushed off for another summer.

The 99 days simply fly by especially if like me you love summer at the Jersey Shore.  Those 99 days have gone a lot faster than say the same number between January 1^st and April 10^th…those drag on.  Summer brings out the best in many of us when we basically wear nothing but shorts, tee-shirts, sandals and bathing suits. How I will miss this period although I am lucky in that being unemployed will allow me to enjoy local summer in September.

Honestly though it’s not the same.  I will miss watching the lifeguards set up their stand for another day on North Avenue along with the sounds of the ice cream kid ringing his bell to let us know he’s on our beach. The daily rituals that summer brings will be replaced by kids waiting at the bus stop and others who walk or ride their bikes to school. Weekends will be filled with football and soccer games instead of boogie boards and lunch trips to Surf Taco and White Oak in Seaside Park.

It’s all about to change.  By the way 99 days from now is December 6^th and that seems like an eternity.