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Monday, August 4. 2008

Summer Love

In the waning days of summer, when the sun is beginning its descent into the Southern sky (Northern sky if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere), some begin that emotional journey into melancholy. We still enjoy the beach, or maybe tearing up the desert with some sort of CO2-emitting vehicle, or whatever you do for fun, but August signals the end is near for summer.

In just a few short weeks the Labor Day Weekend will arrive and all the beaches will be packed, the last days before “school” begins, although school will have already started and the working stiffs, we’re always working anyway. Still, Labor Day marks the end of summer.

This year, Labor Day is September 1. Summer, according to the calendar, doesn’t officially close until September 20, but meteorologically, September 1 starts the transition from summer to fall and the excitement of waking up to a warm day every morning is replaced by the thoughts that eventually, even in Sunny San Diego, there will be mornings that require a hoodie at the very least to stay out of bed for the day.

Some say San Diego doesn’t have the four seasons, but that’s not really true. We notice the change. It isn’t as stark as in Wisconsin, for instance, but we can feel it, see it, taste it. True, I’ll still be hitting the beach well into October and the temperatures will be in the 80’s and possibly higher. One of the great joys of San Diego is sending photos of myself to family members in the Snow Belt — when I’m at the beach, half nekkid, on Christmas or New Years.

One of the great fantasies of youth, and now adulthood, is the concept of an endless summer. Bruce Brown captured that dream in his 1966 film, Endless Summer. Growing up in Wisconsin, it wasn’t just the surfing in the movie that evoked a longing. There was that idea, that desire, to enjoy the fun and happiness of summer forever, without the pause and drudgery of Autumn and Winter. Summer, by its very nature, is about fun.

Everywhere, people fill the parks with grills and have elaborate picnics every weekend, the beaches are packed with bathers and voyeurs and the venders who cater to their need to have fun in style. Along Mission and Pacific Beaches, there are several pizza restaurants so you can bring your pie to the beach. Not sure if any will deliver, but what the Hell, the pizza places are less than a block from the sand, so why wait for the delivery boy — or girl.

 If I could be assured the delivery girl was a hottie in an even hotter bikini, yeah, I’d have it delivered! What a concept for a business! Deliveries made by hot young women and men, dressed for the beach — or the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue!
 Would anyone really care about the taste? Probably, so the pizza would have to be good.

Summer is still here though and maybe the melancholy ramblings are premature. It’s August 4th, which means there are still 28 days left to enjoy the season. Yeah, the J.O.B. is getting in the way, but one day, some day, spending every day at the beach will be my reality. That has been my goal since moving to San Diego 16 years ago: spend every day at the beach and we have 39 beaches in San Diego County. Not all of them have the amenities of Mission and Pacific Beaches, like restaurants and convenience stores within walking distance, but they all have sun, sand and surf. And all year round, you’ll see the surfers and sun worshippers — and the voyeurs who live to watch them all.

The reality though, for nearly everyone in America, in summer we are still required to pay the bills and that requires getting up and going to work. Remember the 1978 film with Sam Elliott, The Lifeguard? The title character had the right idea; sit there and get paid to be at the beach all year long.

Next year will be my year to spend nearly every day at the beach. I’m already planning it. This year, I’m spending the last six days of summer, including Labor Day, exploring some of the 39 beaches in San Diego County. Just me, the Trusty Trek and the Trusty Canon.

It’s always fun to look forward to “next summer.” That’s what I’ll be doing come September 2nd. Of course, can’t forget my sister Elaine’s birthday that day. She’s a sweetheart!