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| All Photos of Early September by Muffy Aldrich |
I always think of the quote below this time of year. Rarely, if ever, especially along the New England coast, does the feel of a place change so dramatically. There is such a precipitous drop in activity, literally from one day to the next. I am talking about Labor Day and the day after. The quiet and the hum set in as everything slows down. Some places even shutter their doors. This was glaringly apparent yesterday as we were driving along from one harbor to another, and flushing a grouse in the process, and encountering hardly another vehicle.
Although we did see a UPS truck. Always a feel good moment.
The year actually begins sometime after Labor Day when the summer people have left and the kids are back in school. It is then the New England community pulls itself together for a new year. Town organizations become active again, the church makes plans for various regular activities, cultural events such as the Boston Symphony commence – in short, year-round life in New England begins in the early fall. And ends in June. July and August are more or less a pleasant never-never land.
- Judson Hale, Inside New England
Amen!
ReplyDeleteNobody on the road, nobody on the beach
ReplyDeleteI feel it in the air, the summer's out of reach
Empty lake, empty streets, the sun goes down alone
I'm driving by your house, though I know you're not home
-Don Henley
That's heavy, Dave.
Delete“Winter rain, now tell me why. Summers fade and roses die. The answers came the wind and rain. Golden hills now veiled in gray. Summer leaves have blown away. Now what remains, the wind and the rain.” Robert Hunter
DeleteTurn the page. Try and stay ahead of the game as we hurtle to the holidays. The harvest! Eek. Non gardeners, step back, stop, and realize all the work involved. Goodness gracious, what are we going to do with these hundreds of cherry tomatoes? And the potatoes, the beautiful Adirondack Blues we grew this year. Get down on your hands and knees please. Our Lamon borlotti beans are flourishing. Wish we could harvest them now. But no, they’re not hard enough yet. That’s something else to put aside for a month or so when it will be even harder to find the time to pick ‘em and shuck ‘em. Raspberries don’t wait around like thé beans. Pick them quick, but not until they’re just ready and ripe. Let the shishitos keep on coming. Plenty for a few more shishito and hot dog (made with local pure brisket grass fed beef, no nitrates of course) dinners. So many pumpkins this year. Give them to kids in exchange for a song, or a joke. Keep eating kale. All those beets still in the ground. Leave those beets. Take the eggplant. Finally, no more cucumbers. And so it goes. Don’t forget the squash. The French have a word, “le rentrée,” for what seems like a start to a different kind of new year; all this back to schooling, gearing up, shaking out sweaters, and leaf peeping. It’s flat out from now ‘til the holidays. Then, take a break. Hang around at La Musée d’Orsay. Sip choice chaud chocolat at Le Rostand. It won’t be long before spring is just around the corner.
ReplyDeleteSimply stunning! Thank you so much!
ReplyDelete