t was an odd summer. I am not sure anyone else shares this feeling but there seems to me to be a bit of a pall over our summer season last year, as if we have all been experiencing it through a kind of a haze. I have always found that the best way to get myself out of this kind of funk is to hike down to the beach, as soon as there’s a sunny day, unfold my old beach chair and set it down where the water meets the sand.
I find that a couple of hours of watching the world goes by helps restore my equilibrium. This time I went a step farther. I took a yellow legal pad so I could jot down my impressions. I should have taken a thicker pad! The people at the beach come in all sizes, shapes, and colors. Some are able to develop a deep bronze tan that will cause them problems later in life while others turn a painful bright red that will cause them problems now – like keeping them from sleeping properly for the rest of their vacation.