If the tulips in my garden are to be believed, spring is now over, and summer has begun. I follow the ritual of digging up the tulips at the end of their bloom, and replanting them in the fall, dividing the ones that are ready and then awaiting their bloom the next spring. It creates bookends for the seasons, and this weekend, the first round of tulips were installed in their box to be kept in the cool dark through the summer.
Hiding for the summer is a very tempting thought. With the crowds and the traffic, we are certainly getting a reminder of what is to come this summer on this Memorial Day weekend. We rode the VTA bus rather than try to find a parking place in Edgartown… On the way to picking up the mail at the OB post office, there was a ten car backup to make a right turn to get over to Ocean Park to park the car. Suddenly, it is summer.
But there have also been some positive portents of summer… The first barefoot walk on the beach… My toes tried the water, but instantly dismissed the thought of a swim – it’s not THAT warm yet! A nice dinner out and visit with family returning for the summer… Vineyard Haven harbor’s moorings are filling with boats and our own little catboat awaits her summer adventures, ready for the season. Flowers in the water from a Memorial day ceremony… Walking through Edgartown, the town is alive and ready for the summer crowds. The family sweet tooth has visited both Mad Martha’s and Murdick’s (and is committed to dieting next week).
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So the summer begins, and with it many of the island’s best experiences. It’s time to adjust our habits to accommodate the crowds, and get out and play in the sun. Yet when I negotiate the crowded sidewalks in Edgartown, I remember the cold February night when we saw the skunk sauntering down the same sidewalk unchallenged. I look for him again tonight, but he is nowhere to be found. He’s hiding for the summer, too, I suspect, looking for the quiet places, and waiting for the next quiet season, when he, too, can run free.